That's when CoCo Vandeweghe is scheduled to join the team for the first of five matches to end the regular season in World TeamTennis.
Sacramento needs help big-time in women's singles and doubles, which again let down the team in a 20-19 loss at lowly Springfield on Thursday night.
The Capitals led 15-10 at intermission behind Sam Querrey in men's singles, Yasmin Schnack of Elk Grove in the Sacramento area and Querrey/Mark Knowles in mixed doubles, and Querrey and Knowles in men's doubles.
But Timea Babos and Modesto's Maria Sanchez beat Asia Muhammad and Schnack 5-3 in women's doubles to cut Sacramento's lead to 18-15. Then Babos, ranked 66th in the world in singles, routed No. 483 Muhammad 5-1 to give Springfield its second victory against six losses. Muhammad served at 3-0 in the last game but lost the next four points to end the match.
Sacramento is 3-15 in women's singles in its last three matches, two of which the Capitals lost and one of which they needed a shutout in the last set (men's doubles) to win by one game.
The Capitals rank first in men's singles this season in the eight-team league, third in men's doubles, fourth in mixed doubles and seventh in women's singles and doubles.
The 6-foot-1 Vandeweghe, meanwhile, jumped from No. 120 in the world to No. 69 after reaching the final of last week's Bank of the West Classic at Stanford as a lucky loser. She held a set point against five-time Wimbledon singles champion Serena Williams in the first set of the title match before falling in straight sets.
Sacramento (4-4) visits Kansas City (2-5) tonight before hosting Springfield on Sunday night at Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights.
After winning three of their first four matches, the Capitals have lost three of their last four. The bright side, in addition to Vandeweghe's impending arrival, is that they still lead the Western Conference by one-half match over Orange County (3-4), 1 1/2 matches over Kansas City and two matches over Springfield. The top two teams in each conference at the end of the 14-match regular season advance to the WTT playoffs, Sept. 14-16 in Charleston, S.C.
See below for full results of Thursday's match.
ATP World Tour in Atlanta -- No. 2 seed and two-time defending champion Mardy Fish retired from his second-round match in the BB&T Atlanta Open.
Fish, who played two matches for the Capitals last week, hurt his right ankle while leading Gilles Muller of Luxembourg 6-4, 3-2. It's the lastest setback for the 30-year-old Fish, who underwent a procedure on May 23 for an irregular heartbeat.
The upcoming Olympics are not a concern for Fish, the second-ranked American at No. 13, because he chose to skip the tournament for the second straight time. He remains emotionally scarred after failing to capitalize on a two-sets-to-one lead over Nicolas Massu of Chile in the gold-medal match at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
In the first round of doubles in Atlanta, unseeded South Africans Kevin Anderson and Rik de Voest edged Paolo Lorenzi of Italy and Rajeev Ram of Carmel, Ind., 6-3, 6-7 (3), 10-6 tiebreak.
The 6-foot-8 Anderson, ranked 33rd in singles, is scheduled to join the Capitals on Tuesday for the first of four matches to close the regular season. De Voest won the singles title in the inaugural Sacramento Challenger in 2005.
Raven Klaasen of South Africa and Donald Young of Atlanta upset second-seeded Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Scott Lipsky of Huntington Beach 6-2, 7-6 (5). Lipsky, a former NCAA doubles runner-up from Stanford, won the 2010 Atlanta doubles crown with Ram. Gonzalez and Lipsky captured the doubles title on grass at Newport, R.I., last week.
WORLD TEAMTENNIS
Springfield 20, Capitals 19
In Springfield, Mo.
Men's singles -- Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Amir Weintraub (Lasers) 5-4.Mixed doubles -- Mark Knowles-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) def. Timea Babos-Devin Britton (Lasers) 5-2.
Men's doubles -- Mark Knowles-Sam Querrey (Capitals) def. Devin Britton-Amir Weintraub (Lasers) 5-4.
Women's doubles -- Timea Babos-Maria Sanchez (Lasers) def. Asia Muhammad-Yasmin Schnack (Capitals) 5-3.
Women's singles -- Timea Babos (Lasers) def. Asia Muhammad (Capitals) 5-1.
TV SCHEDULE
(All times PDT)
Today -- Hamburg (men), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 3-11 a.m. (live), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 1-6 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 6-8 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), quarterfinals, Tennis Channel, 2-6 p.m. (delay); Carlsbad (women), quarterfinals, ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live).Saturday -- Hamburg (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 4:30-9 a.m. (live), noon-2 p.m. (repeat), 8-10 p.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 10 a.m.-noon (live), ESPN2, 4-6 p.m. (live); Carlsbad (women), semifinals, Tennis Channel, 2-4 p.m. (live), ESPN2, 8-10 p.m. (live); Bastad (women), Tennis Channel, 4-8 p.m. (delay).
Sunday -- Hamburg (men), final, Tennis Channel, 5-7 a.m. (live), 7-9 a.m. (repeat); Atlanta (men), final, ESPN2, noon-2 p.m. (live), Tennis Channel, 5-7 p.m. (repeat); Carlsbad (women), final, ESPN2, 2-4 p.m. (live); Gstaad (men), final, Tennis Channel, 3-5 p.m. (delay); Bastad (women), final, Tennis Channel, 7-9 p.m. (delay).
CALENDAR
Today -- World TeamTennis, Sacramento Capitals (with Sam Querrey) at Kansas City, 5:35 p.m.Sunday -- Springfield at Capitals (with Querrey, CoCo Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
Tuesday -- Orange County (with Lindsay Davenport) at Capitals (with Kevin Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
Wednesday -- Capitals (with Vandeweghe) at Orange County, 7 p.m.
July 27 -- Philadelphia (with Mark Philippoussis) at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
July 28 -- Boston at Capitals (with Anderson, Vandeweghe), Sunrise Marketplace Outdoor Pavilion, Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights, 7:35 p.m., http://www.saccaps.com/.
July 28-Aug. 5 -- OLYMPIC TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Wimbledon, www.london2012.com.
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