Double Fault: Houston's World TeamTennis Franchise Folding

The World TeamTennis (WTT) Houston Wranglers will be disbanded after a 1-13 season this year and “three bad seasons” in total, according to Dale Robertson of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE.  Owner Linda McIngvale said, “This is not the right type of community for the Wranglers.  We’re just too big of a city with too many options.”  McIngvale said that the poor records and the “lack of a major drawing card, which most [WTT] teams employed at considerable expense for at least a couple matches, had no bearing on the franchise’s demise.”  Robertson noted when Anna Kournikova appeared in Houston last year, the 4,500-seat Westside Tennis Club stadium “was less than half full,” and recent crowds had been less than 1,000 (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/25).