San Diego Tennis Team Wins Opener Without Coach

CARLSBAD, CA — The San Diego Aviators will seek their second victory in two 2020 World TeamTennis matches Tuesday when they face the Vegas Rollers in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Aviators opened the season Sunday with a 23-16 victory over the Orange County Breakers with Ryan Harrison winning in men's singles and coaching the team in place of John Lloyd.

League rules require players and coaches to receive a negative coronavirus test from The Greenbrier Clinic to be able to appear on the court. Lloyd arrived at The Greenbrier with one negative test result from the past week and is awaiting the test result from The Greenbrier Clinic, a league spokesman told City News Service.

Two players were barred from playing in earlier matches Sunday because of the lack of a negative test from The Greenbrier Clinic and John-Laffnie De Jager was not allowed to coach the Springfield Lasers in their 21-18 loss to the Orlando Storm in the first of Sunday's three matches.

Nicole Melichar won both of her sets in her debut with the Aviators, teaming with CoCo Vandeweghe for a 5-3 victory over Andreja Klepac and Jennifer Brady, in the match's second set, women's doubles.

Melichar was part of the Aviators 5-0 victory in the final set, mixed doubles. Jonny O'Mara was her partner the first four games. Harrison decided to replace O'Mara with himself for the fifth game and served out the set.

Klepac and Luke Bambridge began the set for Orange County. Steve Johnson replaced Bambridge after the second game.

Melichar and Alexander Peya won the 2018 Wimbledon mixed doubles championship. She and Kveta Peschke reached Wimbledon's 2018 women's doubles final, losing to Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0.

Melichar is 19th in the Women's Tennis Association doubles rankings.

The Aviators won both singles sets in tiebreakers, with Harrison defeating Johnson in the opening set and Christina McHale defeating Brady in the fourth.

Harrison "really knows how to get me going in matches," said McHale, whose sister Lauren is married to Harrison. "It was unfortunate that coach Lloyd wasn't able to be with us tonight, but I trust Ryan."

The Aviators lone loss came in the third set, men's doubles, when O'Mara and Harrison lost 5-3 to Bambridge and Johnson, a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist in men's doubles.

Under WTT rules, the first player or doubles team to win five games wins the set, one less than traditional tennis. A set is decided in a nine-point tiebreaker if it is tied 4-4.

World TeamTennis is scheduled to play its entire season at The Greenbrier resort after the league concluded the coronavirus outbreak made it impossible for teams to complete the necessary air travel to and from its nine cities.

Capacity at Center Court at Creekside is limited to 500, 20% capacity, with spacing between seated groups as well as mandatory masks and temperature checks at the entrance.

Players are required to wear masks in the hotel on the walk from the hotel to the court. They are prohibited from going into the resort's casino.

— City News Service