Dream routs San Diego, prepares to welcome Bryans

The Dream's Jarka Gajdosova, shown earlier this
season, blitzed San Diego's Chani Scheepers 5-0
in women's singles tonight. Photo by Darryl Hen-
ick. www.drhphotos.com

   Suddenly, things are looking up for the California Dream.
   California routed the San Diego Aviators 25-11 tonight for its first road win of the season as the teams battle for the second and last playoff spot in the Western Conference of World TeamTennis behind the Austin Aces (8-0).
   The Dream (5-4) has won two straight matches and three of its last four. With five regular-season contests remaining, California leads San Diego (3-5) by 1 1/2 matches and last-place Springfield (2-7) by three.
   There's more good news for the Dream. Bob and Mike Bryan, the top men's doubles team in the world, will play the first of their three matches for the team on Thursday night.
   California will face San Diego again at 7:30 at Dream Stadium at Sunrise Mall in the Sacramento suburb of Citrus Heights. The match will be televised live on Tennis Channel and ESPN3.
   But the arrival of the Bryans, who have won a record 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles but only one of the last eight majors, will send Neal Skupski to the bench in mixed doubles.
   Skupski -- a late substitute for Aisam Qureshi, who withdrew from WTT shortly before the season began -- and Anabel Medina Garrigues continued their outstanding play in mixed doubles tonight with a 5-1 victory in the last set.
   California, in fact, won all five sets against San Diego -- a rarity in WTT. Jarka Gajdosova blitzed Chani Scheepers 5-0 in women's singles to give the Dream a 10-3 lead after two sets.
   Seventeen-year-old Taylor Fritz, one of the United States' top male prospects, played two sets for San Diego in his hometown. He lost 5-3 with Raven Klaasen in men's doubles and 5-4 to Tennys Sandgren in men's singles.

CALIFORNIA DREAM 25, SAN DIEGO AVIATORS 11

In Carlsbad, Calif.

   Men's doubles -- Tennys Sandgren and Neal Skupski (Dream) def. Raven Klaasen and Taylor Fritz 5-3.
   Women's singles -- Jarka Gajdosova (Dream) def. Chani Scheepers 5-0.
   Men's singles -- Sandgren (Dream) def. Fritz 5-4.
   Women's doubles -- Jarka Gajdosova and Anabel Medina Garrigues (Dream) def. Darija Jurak and Scheepers 5-3.
   Mixed doubles -- Garrigues and Skupski (Dream) def. Jurak and Klaasen 5-1.