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Wilson signs on as official ball of WTT

February 17, 2006 - World TeamTennis (WTT) News Release


Wilson Racquet Sports has been named the official ball of World TeamTennis. Wilson has been the official racquet of WTT for many years, providing support and equipment for the Recreational and Professional Leagues. "We are committed to growing our involvement with this great organization," said Darian Chappell, Western Region Promotions Manager.

Chappell is the liaison between Wilson and WTT and also currently manages Wilson's national high school program and coordinates promotional events on the west coast.

Recreational to professional players have turned to Wilson for more than 90 years for the latest tennis equipment and technology. With the launch of its exclusive nCode technology, Wilson has improved performance racquet design. nCode was named the best racquet frame technology on the market and Wilson continues to be top racquet choice for more ATP and WTA Touring professionals.

Wilson players captured six Grand Slam titles in 2005 with nCode technology:
- Serena Williams (n3) Australian Open
- Justine Henin-Hardenne (nTour) French Open
- Roger Federer (nSix-One Tour) Wimbledon and US Open
- Venus Williams (n4) Wimbledon
- Bryan Brothers (nPro Surge) US Open

Venus Williams (Delaware Smash) and the Bryan Brothers (KC Explorers) also played WTT in 2005.

Wilson is the only racquet equipment company that is the Official Ball of two of the four grand slam championships; the US Open and the Australian Open.

WTT Pro League sets 2006 dates

NEW YORK (January 19, 2006) --- The 2006 regular season for the World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League presented by Advanta will be played July 6-26 with the season-ending WTT Finals slated for July 28-30, league officials announced today.

This year's season opens earlier than previous years, allowing the WTT Finals to be played immediately following the conclusion of the regular season on the final weekend of July. Various WTT franchises have submitted bids to host the 2006 WTT Finals and the announcement of the venue for the championships will be made at the WTT Owners' meetings in New York City next month.

Again this year, four teams - the top two from the Eastern Conference and the top two from the Western Conference - will advance to the season-ending finals. The four teams will be seeded based on their regular season records, which is a change from previous years when the semifinal matches featured intra-conference match-ups. If the host team does not qualify for the Finals, there will be a special quarterfinal match on Thursday, July 27, pitting the host team against the number four seed. The winner will advance to the Friday semifinals against the top seeded team.

"We have listened to our fans, owners and players and made some significant scheduling changes for the 2006 WTT season," said Ilana Kloss, World TeamTennis CEO and Commissioner. "By moving the WTT Finals to immediately after the conclusion of the regular season we keep the momentum moving forward for the teams, improve the overall scheduling for the players and keep our fans happy by not having a major gap between the end of the season and the championship weekend."

The draft of players for the 2006 WTT season will be held in Miami on March 28. Players who have participated in the co-ed league in recent years include Andre Agassi, Lindsay Davenport, Andy Roddick, Steffi Graf, Venus Williams, John McEnroe, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams and the world's top-ranked doubles team, Bob and Mike Bryan.

Now in its 31st consecutive year of play, World TeamTennis is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis. Instant replay, which debuted at WTT matches in 2005 as the WTT Coaches Challenge, marked the first time the technology had been used in a professional tennis match, will return to select WTT matches in 2006. Other WTT firsts include co-ed format, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, Supertiebreakers, multi-colored courts and player names on back of their shirts.

The unique gender-balanced team concept for WTT was created in the early 70s by League co-founders Billie Jean King and Larry King. The format used for a WTT Pro League match features teams comprised of two men, two women and a coach. Each match consists of five sets, with one set each of men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. The regular season runs July 6-26 and the two top teams from both the Western and Eastern Conferences will battle for the King Trophy at the WTT Finals, July 28-30.

Advanta is the presenting sponsor of the WTT Pro League and the official business credit card of World TeamTennis. Official WTT Pro League sponsors also include Gatorade and Wilson Racquet Sports. For more information on WTT, visit www.WTT.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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