Breakers finalize WTT roster

The Orange County Breakers finalized their roster for this summer’s World Team Tennis season during Tuesday’s WTT Draft, held in Indian Wells.

Yanina Wickmayer, Michael Venus, Andreja Klepac and Teymuraz Gabashvili will compete for the Breakers in 2017 at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach.

The Breakers will return none of their players from 2016, when they returned to Orange County, went 8-4 in the regular season and advanced to the WTT title match. There, they lost to rival San Diego, 25-14. However, Rick Leach does return as coach.

“We put this team together with our sights set on the King Trophy,” Leach said in a release. “Gabashvili, who was the 2015 WTT Male MVP, is a huge piece for us and our first-round pick, Yanina Wickmayer is a phenomenal singles player. Michael Venus and Andreja Klepac will also be two of the top doubles players in the league.”

Wickmayer, selected with the fifth overall pick, will be making her World Team Tennis debut. The 27-year-old Belgian has a career-high singles ranking of No. 12 and seven WTA titles. She is a Fed Cup regular, 2012 Olympian and former U.S. Open semifinalist.

Venus, the Breakers’ second-round pick, will also be a WTT rookie. Currently ranked No. 40 in the world in doubles, Venus played college tennis at Louisiana State and is a regular on the New Zealand Davis Cup squad. Venus, 29, has won five career ATP World Tour titles.

Klepac, 31, will be entering her second WTT season, and first with the Breakers. She has played in 35 Fed Cup ties for Slovenia and was a member of the Washington Kastles last season. Currently ranked No. 26 in doubles, Klepac has won four career WTA titles and is a former quarterfinalist of the Australian and U.S. Open.

Gabashvili, 31, was the 2015 WTT Male MVP in his only previous season in the league. The Breakers’ fourth-round selection and Moscow resident plays Davis Cup for Russia and has twice reached the fourth round of the French Open. Gabashvili hit a career-high singles ranking of 43 in 2016, and boasts victories over Andy Murray, Fernando Gonzalez and Andy Roddick.

The WTT regular season is set to take place July 16-Aug. 2. The Breakers will host seven home matches during that time at Breakers Stadium at Palisades Tennis Club. Season tickets will be going on sale in the coming weeks. For more information on the team, schedule dates and more, visit www.BreakersTennis.com.

— From staff reports