THE CROWD:Newport Breakers barbecue place to be

The Newport Beach Breakers Tennis Tournament at Newport Beach Country Club is surely one of the great social events of the summer on the Orange Coast. Tonight, a barbecue dinner party will introduce the team to the local crowd with a cocktail reception on center court. Coach Trevor Kronemann and roster players Lauren Albanese, Ramon Delgado, Rich Leach and Michaela Pastikova will mingle with local tennis lovers.

The live auction will benefit Hoag Hospital and will include a special travel package to New York for the U.S. Open, where the lucky recipients will be treated to seats in Billie Jean King's private suite.

Delgado has been one of the major stars of the Newport Beach Breakers, dazzling the tennis crowd with his 5-0 men's singles rout, which led the Breakers to a 20-15 win in the season opener against the Sacramento Capitols. Stars on the circuit include Anna Kournikova, Pete Sampras and, on July 22, superstar Venus Williams and the Philadelphia Freedoms are set to play on the Newport Beach courts.

The World Team Tennis Pro League is in its 32nd season of play. It was created in the early 1970s by Billie Jean King and Larry King with the goal of establishing a unique gender-balanced team concept in tennis. Eleven teams battle for the King trophy, and the two top teams from both the Western and Eastern conferences will advance to the World Team Tennis Championship July 27 to 29 in Roseville, following the conclusion of the Newport Beach play. For the next 10 days, the Breakers is the place to see and be seen.

A very special day for brides will take place Aug. 5 at the Mon Amie Bridal Salon in Costa Mesa. The first 100 brides who are either soldiers or are engaged to soldiers who enter the salon will be given a free wedding gown. The military bride gown giveaway will begin at 10:30 a.m. To qualify, brides must be engaged or be on active duty themselves and/or have a fiancé on active duty in the military. For more information, call Mon Amie at (714) 546-5700 or e-mail hr@monamie.com.