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World TeamTennis Franchise In Las Vegas Looks To Bring Flair

The Rollers' home debut this weekend at Orleans Arena will include a "Cirque du Soleil-like" opening ceremonyWORLD TEAM TENNIS

The Las Vegas Rollers began their inaugural World TeamTennis season last week, and GM Sally Dewhurst said with "Vegas’ new identity as a sports mecca, it was an obvious choice" for an expansion franchise, according to Case Keefer of the LAS VEGAS SUN. Dewhurst, whose franchise joined the WTT along with the Orlando Storm, said the league "thought it was important to get a couple new teams" for the '19 season. She added, "There’s quite a big tennis community in Las Vegas, with the history of Michael Chang and Andre Agassi. The league is all about highly competitive tennis but also about having fun and entertainment." The Rollers will make their home debut Saturday at Orleans Arena, and Dewhurst "promises a Cirque du Soleil-like opening ceremony to kick off the season and other entertainment offerings between matches." LMFAO singer RedFoo "serves as the Rollers’ assistant coach, indicative of the league’s vibe." The WTT had "swelled as large as 20 teams before slimming down to only six the past three seasons." The new ownership group, headed by Eric Davidson, "aims to eventually increase back to 12 teams" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 7/18). USTA Nevada District Exec Dir Ryan Wolfington said that VIP seats for the Rollers are "sold out and cheap seats are going fast." Popular doubles duo Mike and Bob Bryan will suit up for this weekend's home matches, and Mike Bryan said they will "relish the role of trying to promote the game and make it a big event" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/18).

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