Dukes Hoping to Avoid Repeat of ’93 Collapse : TeamTennis: Newport Beach is again the favorite in the playoffs. But Idaho and New Jersey could present problems.

Before the World TeamTennis season began four weeks ago, Dukes owner Fred Lieberman said he had the league’s best team on paper.

Four weeks, 14 victories and no losses later, Lieberman is wearing a self-satisfying “I-told-you-so” smile.

But after what happened to the Dukes in the last two WTT finals, Lieberman was not about to make any such statements before his team’s semifinal match tonight in Sacramento against Idaho, which defeated Sacramento, 28-23, in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. New Jersey meets San Antonio on Saturday in the other semifinal. The final is scheduled Sunday.

“As an old ballplayer (in the minor leagues), I’m very superstitious,” Lieberman said. “I don’t want to say anything to jinx us.”

Lieberman still feels a little spooked after witnessing last year’s collapse against Wichita in the final. The Dukes entered the last set holding a one-point lead with their best event--mixed doubles--to come. But Trevor Kronemann, last year’s male co-MVP, opened the set by having his serve broken. The Dukes went on to lose the set, 6-2, and the match, 26-23.

“I was a little numb watching that,” Lieberman said. “I still don’t understand what happened.”

The Dukes finished the 1993 season with a 13-1 record, but they were even more dominating this season. Only their victories over New Jersey and Idaho were close--both were won by a point. Every other match was all but decided long before the last set.

The Dukes had the top men’s singles player and WTT male MVP in Kelly Jones, who won 80 games and lost 47 (.630), the second-best women’s singles record (.583), compiled mainly by Zina Garrison Jackson and Larisa Neiland, the top women’s doubles record (.585), compiled mainly by Garrison Jackson and Neiland, and the second-best mixed doubles record (.574), compiled mainly by Kronemann and Neiland.

The men’s doubles team of Kronemann and Jones was ranked third, but it won more than 57% of its games.

Lieberman says the key to his team’s perfect season has been Neiland, a 28-year-old Latvian who had not played team tennis until this season.

“Larisa would be my MVP of the league,” Lieberman said. “I didn’t know her game that well, but based what people that I trust told me, I knew she’d be good. They told me she’d be the find of the year. I think she was clearly the difference in our team. We don’t have a weakness, even though some people thought it might be Larisa.”

The rest of the league agreed with Lieberman because she was named WTTs rookie of the year and female MVP. Ranked as the third-best doubles player on tour, Neiland also stood out in singles this season. While Garrison Jackson was in Germany playing in the Federation Cup, Neiland filled in and won 26 of 42 games. Her .619 winning percentage was the highest of any women’s singles player.

The Dukes’ winning percentage of 1.000 was the highest of any team in league history. Still, Lieberman said a couple teams make him uncomfortable.

“This is not a lock for us,” he said. “New Jersey (11-3) and Idaho (9-6) can beat us on any given day. On paper, Idaho was the second best team this year. I’m nervous about playing them. They have more emotion than any team that could play us because they all played here last year.”

Lieberman’s emotions about his perfect regular season are somewhat mixed. One minute he’s smiling about his team’s success on the court, the next minute he’s looking up into the stands at John Wayne Tennis Club and grimacing.

Although Lieberman sold some 1,100 season tickets, he rarely had more than 600 or 700 people in the stands. The crowd of 2,487 to see Jimmy Connors’ Phoenix Smash was the only box-office highlight.

“The (lack of support) makes this a little bittersweet,” Lieberman said. “This is a tough town. In other towns like Boise and Sacramento, tennis is the only thing going on. Here you’ve got yuppie boxing (in Irvine), summer league basketball and Magic Johnson, two baseball teams. It’s a very competitive area for the entertainment dollar.”

Lieberman discounted the notion that his ticket prices ($15 and $25) were too high.

“I don’t think it’s the money,” he said. “It’s the complacency, the attitude. The parking situation at the (John Wayne Tennis) club isn’t ideal and I’m sure that turns some people away.”

Lieberman already has talked about selling the franchise after the season, but he said he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

“Winning changes a lot of things,” he said. “One tends to forget all the empty seats. Then again, if I do sell, this could be the way to go out. I’ve never won anything like this before.”

Dukes in the Playoffs

What: World TeamTennis Playoffs

Where: Gold River Racquet Club in Gold River, a suburb of Sacramento. The outdoor club seats 2,400.

Semifinal matchups: Newport Beach Dukes (14-0) vs. Idaho Sneakers (9-6), tonight at 7 p.m.; San Antonio Racquets (8-7) vs. New Jersey Stars (11-3), Saturday at 7 p.m. The winners meet Sunday at 11 a.m.

Comments: Newport Beach, which has lost in the final the last two years, is unquestionably the team to beat. But Idaho and New Jersey have both come close to beating the Dukes this season before losing by one point. Idaho, coached by former Dukes and UC Irvine Coach Greg Patton, will be plenty motivated.Patton has two former Dukes, Manon Bollegraf and Amy Frazier, on his roster. His two men players are Rick and Jon Leach, the former Laguna Beach High and USC stars. Frazier finished the season with the best singles record of any female in the WTT (77-53 for a .592 percentage). New Jersey, led by Martina Navratilova (71-51 in singles, .582), will be the sentimental favorite of the Sacramento fans.