One longtime Capitals star is gone.

But another will return next week after a one-year absence.

When the Capitals open their 24th season at 7:30 tonight against the Washington Kastles at Allstate Stadium at the Galleria at Roseville, they'll be without Elena Likhovtseva.

The Kazakhstan native retired at 33 after playing on four World TeamTennis championship teams in her nine seasons.

Meanwhile, three-time WTT Male MVP Mark Knowles will come back for his eighth season with Sacramento after he's finished at Wimbledon. The doubles specialist, who's ranked eighth in the world and formerly No. 1, will play in today's mixed semifinals after losing in Wednesday's men's quarterfinals.

"Elena was a sensational doubles player who put her heart and soul into playing for the Capitals," said Wayne Bryan, who has won two WTT titles in seven seasons as the Capitals' coach.

"Mark is one of the all-time great doubles players. He's also a great leader. He's very helpful with our doubles players."

After leading the Capitals to their record sixth WTT crown in 2007, Knowles missed last season because of the birth of his second child. Not coincidentally, the Capitals slipped to 8-6 in the regular season and only narrowly earned a playoff berth.

Sacramento started the season 1-4 as two WTT rookies, Eric Butorac and 15-year-old Tammy Hendler, adjusted to the lightning-fast pace of matches.

The Capitals went 7-2 the rest of the regular season but were humiliated by the Kansas City Explorers 21-10 in the Western Conference final at Allstate Stadium.

Likhovtseva played only part-time on the regular tour last year, so Bryan used Hendler in singles. She finished ninth among the league's 10 full-time players with a .409 winning percentage in games.

Knowles, 37, replaces Butorac, and Hendler did not return to WTT this season. Lifelong Sacramentan Sam Warburg, 26, is back for his fifth season with the Capitals.

Joining Knowles and Warburg are 2006 WTT Female MVP Angela Haynes, 24, and 2008 U.S. Open junior singles champion CoCo Vandeweghe, 17. They were acquired Monday in a four-player trade.

Vandeweghe, whose uncle Kiki is the general manager of the New Jersey Nets and a former NBA star, continues the Capitals' tradition of a female teenager on the roster every year since 2004.

She is by far the oldest of the group – which also includes Nicole Vaidisova (2004, 2005), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (2006), Michelle Larcher de Brito (2007) and Hendler – and the first American.

Depending on Warburg's sore shoulder, the Capitals could be better in four sets than they were last year and at least as good in men's singles.

Warburg, whose world singles ranking has fallen from a career-high No. 132 one year ago to No. 217, said he hopes his shoulder ailment will not affect him during the season. Warburg finished sixth of 11 players in men's singles (.510) last season.

Men's doubles will be a strength if Warburg's shoulder holds up. Behind Knowles and Warburg, Sacramento finished second in that category two years ago.

Bryan said he will alternate Haynes, in her third full WTT season, and Vandeweghe, a WTT rookie with a 120-mph serve, in women's singles unless one emerges. Vandeweghe crushed Hendler 6-2, 6-0 in the U.S. Open junior quarterfinals last year.

Vandeweghe, 6-foot-1, and Haynes, a 5-8 left-hander, could make a formidable women's doubles team.

Vandeweghe and Petra Martic, 18, of Croatia stunned fifth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova and three-time Grand Slam women's doubles champion Ai Sugiyama in the first round at Miami in March. Haynes is ranked No. 105 in doubles with seven career minor-league titles.

In mixed doubles, Knowles will team with whoever doesn't play women's singles on a given night. He and Likhovtseva led the league two years ago.

Highlighting the Capitals' home schedule will be appearances by International Tennis Hall of Famer Michael Chang for Sacramento next Friday, ex-Capital Anna Kournikova of the St. Louis Aces on July 13, and Bob and Mike Bryan (Wayne's twin sons) of Kansas City on July 21.

For the first time in three years, the WTT Finals will not be at Allstate Stadium. Instead, they'll be in Washington, D.C.

Call The Bee's Paul Bauman, (916) 326-5515.