Tickets available for Springfield Lasers professional tennis

(From the City of Springfield)

Tickets are now available for the Springfield Lasers professional tennis home season, held July 6-23 at Mediacom Tennis Stadium, in Cooper Tennis Complex, 2331 E. Pythian, Springfield.

The Springfield Lasers, one of seven tennis teams in the nationwide Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League, brings world-class tennis to Springfield every July.

The Lasers enter the 2014 season as defending Western Conference Champions.
The highlight of the home season comes Sunday, July 13, when Lasers marquee player James Blake faces longtime friend and rival Andy Roddick.

Springfield Lasers General Manager Paul Nahon, Jr., said based on strong season ticket sales, he expects match tickets to move quickly, especially for the Blake-Roddick match.

"The response to season ticket sales has been phenomenal," said Nahon. "The strength of our team, the marquee players and the overall fan experience continues to make the Lasers season an exciting family-friendly experience."

Blake also appears in Springfield Saturday, July 12. Blake, 34, was the No. 1 American and No. 4 world player in 2006, just behind Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko. Blake is known for his powerful forehand, his speed on the court and his incredible comeback after breaking his neck in May 2004. He has earned 10 singles titles and seven doubles titles. This is his ninth season of WTT, his first with the Lasers.

Lasers fans will welcome returning Lasers Alisa Kleybanova and Jean-Julien Rojer, who led the team to the 2013 Western Conference Championship. Kleybanova, from Moscow, Russia, also was named 2013 WTT Female Rookie of the Year. Rojer, from Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, earned the WTT Male MVP in 2013 and was also 2011 Male Rookie of the Year. WTT veterans Anna-Lena Groenefeld, from Germany, and American Michael Russell were added to the roster earlier this year. Three-time WTT Coach of the Year Coach John-Laffnie (JL) de Jager also returns for his eighth season with the Lasers.

San Diego marquee player and former No. 5 Daniela Hantuchova also makes an appearance in Springfield Thursday, July 17.

The 2014 Springfield Lasers home schedule is:

• Sun., July 6 Springfield Lasers vs. Philadelphia Freedoms
• Mon., July 7 Springfield Lasers vs. Texas Wild
• Sat., July 12 Springfield Lasers vs. Texas Wild (Featuring Blake-SPR)
• Sun., July 13 Springfield Lasers vs. Austin Aces (Featuring Blake–SPR and Roddick-AUS)
• Thu., July 17 Springfield Lasers vs. San Diego (Featuring Hantuchova- SD)
• Fri., July 18 Springfield Lasers vs. Washington Kastles
• Wed., July 23 Springfield Lasers vs. Boston Lobsters

All Springfield Lasers home matches begin at 7 p.m. Gates open at 5:30, and live music, presented by Gig Salad, takes place every night 5:30-6:30. Concessions and the VIP Food Center both open at 5:30.

Grandstand tickets are $10 (July 6, 7, 18 and 19) $15 (July 12 and 17) and $20 (July 13.) Box Seat tickets are $20 (July 6, 7, 18 and 19) $30 (July 12 and 17) and $40 (July 13.) Season tickets and VIP packages are also available. To purchase tickets, call Cooper Tennis Complex at 417-837-5800.

For more information, visit springfieldlasers.com or look for Springfield Lasers on Facebook or @SpringLasers on Twitter. For more information on Mylan WTT, visit wtt.com.

For media inquiries, call Jenny Fillmer Edwards, Public Information Administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board, at 417-874-2176 or 417-224-5510.