Lasers’ WTT Title Run Comes To An End

For the first time since 2017, the Springfield Lasers will not hoist the King Trophy.

Springfield finished seventh in the World TeamTennis standings in a unique season. WTT played its entire season at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. The top four teams qualified for the playoffs, a cut the playoffs missed by just two games. The Lasers ended the season with a record of 5-9.

“The last few matches we would have played the same, if we’re in contention or not,” Springfield coach J.L. de Jager told WTT after a late-season match. “We were lucky this year because we had a good mix of young players and veteran players. We have six players that’s world-class on this team and everybody can learn from each other. We’ve become very close and it’s awesome to have all of them on the team.”

Springfield’s strength was in doubles play, sparked by 18-year-old rookie Caty McNally. She finished third in the league in women’s doubles, with a winning percentage of .538. She ranked sixth in mixed doubles.

McNally partnered with Hayley Carter in women’s doubles and, typically, played with 43-year-old veteran Robert Lindstedt in mixed doubles. She also played 50 games in women’s singles for the Lasers.

“It’s very new for me, I’m so used to being out there by myself,” McNally told WTT after a late-season match. “It’s a great experience to have teammates. I’m so lucky that I have such great teammates, a great coach out here. I’m learning so much about doubles, singles. The format is definitely different, I’m just getting used to it.”

Olga Govortsova played a majority of the women’s singles matches. She finished eighth in the league. Lindstedt teamed up with Jean-Julien Rojer to play men’s doubles, while Mitchell Krueger handled men’s singles play for the Lasers.

The New York Empire won the 2020 WTT championship, defeating the Chicago Smash 21-20 in the finals. New York was the fourth seed in the playoffs, but upset the Philadelphia Freedoms in the first round to advance to the finals. It’s the first championship for the Empire.