Sacramento Business Journal: Professional tennis returning to Sacramento, and to Sunrise Mall

Sacramento has a new professional tennis team, and it's coming back to Sunrise Mall this summer.
The Texas Wild franchise will be rebranded as California Dream and move to Sacramento, according to the league, called Mylan World TeamTennis. The team will play in the parking lot of Sunrise Mall in Citrus Heights as the Sacramento Capitals did in the past.
California Dream, formerly of Irving, Texas, will have a new ownership group. Members include Texas Wild owner Jeff Launius; Bob Kaliski, president of the Harbor Point Tennis Club in Mill Valley; and Dallas-based investment banker Michael Malone.
The team will play seven home matches in July in a stadium in a 2,500-seat temporary stadium the mall traditionally puts up each summer in its parking lot. Kathilynn Carpenter, executive director of Sunrise MarketPlace, which is a sponsor of the tennis team, said the stadium will offer "substantially the same environment, but there will be tweaks made," possibly in the area of hospitality suites.
Last February, officials with the Sacramento Capitals announced the tennis team would move to Las Vegas and compete as the Las Vegas Neon. The Capitals played 28 seasons here, and won six World TeamTennis championships.
The team's stadium also functioned as a concert venue once the tennis team's July season ended. In 2012 and 2013, the Sunrise MarketPlace business improvement district brought acts to the venue in August and September.
Concerts included acts such as Trace Adkins and Boyz II Men. Carpenter said it's unlikely fans will see a large-scale concert this year. "Obviously, it's very late," she said, noting the extended time frame that comes with scheduling a big concert.
Officials are still deciding if large-scale concerts will happen in the future.
Sonya Sorich is social engagement manager and a staff writer at the Sacramento Business Journal. She oversees social media activity and writes about retailing, small business and restaurants.