Texas Wild Championship Bid Ends In Springfield

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SPRINGFIELD, MO. –The Springfield Lasers will return to the Mylan WTT Finals presented by GEICO for the first time since 2009 after winning the Mylan WTT Western Conference title with a 25-9 win over the Texas Wild on Thursday evening in Springfield.

The Lasers will take on the two-time defending champion Washington Kastles on Sunday, July 28, at 5pm ET in the Mylan WTT Finals presented by GEICO. The match will be held at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf in Washington, DC. The Kastles defeated the Boston Lobsters 25-12 earlier on Thursday evening to win the Eastern Conference Championship.

In Thursday’s action, the Lasers took advantage of their home court at Mediacom Stadium at Cooper Tennis Complex early, jumping out to a lead with Rik de Voest’s 5-3 win over Texas’ Alex Bogomolov Jr.

Before the match, league officials announced that Jean-Julien Rojer was the 2013 Mylan WTT Male MVP while teammate Alisa Kleybanova was named Mylan WTT Female Rookie. In the second set, Rojer and Kleybanova showed off the skills that earned them those accolades with a 5-3 win in

mixed doubles over Bogomolov and Eugenie Bouchard.

The league’s top ranked men’s doubles team of Rojer and de Voest dominated Bogomolov and Aisam Qureshi 5-1 to take a 15-7 halftime lead.

Kleybanova was too strong for Bouchard, reeling off a 5-1 win in women’s singles. She then teamed with Vania King to close out the night with a 5-1 win in women’s doubles and the overall 25-9 victory for Springfield.

Springfield coach John-Laffnie de Jager was thrilled with his team’s effort against Texas. “This win means a lot. I can’t say enough about this team and the way they produced. The Rookie of the Year (Kleybanova) and the Most Valuable Player (Rojer) showed why they got their prizes.”

Kleybanova has enjoyed her first Mylan WTT experience but she says it is not yet complete. “We’re not just happy to be in the finals, we want to win it. We have an unbelievable team. We help each other and the results show it.”

Andy Roddick will join his Lasers teammates on the court for Sunday’s finals. “Andy brings experience and a great presence to our team,” said de Jager. “He’s part of this team, he cares for the team and he wants the team to win.” The Springfield squad, led by coach John-Laffnie de Jager, also includes Vania King, Rik de Voest, Jean-Julien Rojer and Alisa Kleybanova.

The Kastles lineup will include 2013 Female MVP Martina Hingis, Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds and Anastasia Rodionova. Washington is coached by 2013 Coach of the Year Murphy Jensen.

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