WTT Washington Kastles

2010 Kastles Season in Review

Published on July 29, 2010 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


While the 2010 season ended with the Kastles falling short of their goal of repeating as World TeamTennis Champions, it was a memorable campaign filled with lots of exciting moments, sold-out enthusiastic crowds at Kastles Stadium almost every home match, many impactful contributions to charities and the youth of the region, and a season that once again showed the team to be the premier franchise in the league.

The excitement over the 2010 campaign began back in February, when the Kastles announced that Venus Williams would join her sister Serena and play for the team. Signing the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion added some real firepower, and then the team further announced that doubles dynamos Leander Paes and Rennae Stubbs would return to the Kastles to play alongside Venus and Serena. The Kastles then secured the top overall pick in the WTT draft and selected Bobby Reynolds, an American ranked as high as 46 in doubles and 63 in singles in 2009. Angie Haynes, a hard-hitting lefty who was the league's 2006 Female MVP and who earned the 3rd best women's singles record in 2009, would also join the team. The Kastles certainly appeared to have a very good shot to "Do it Again in 2010."

While the season started off with a tough supertiebreaker loss to the New York Sportimes, the Kastles would reel off six straight wins, including three exciting victories at Kastles Stadium, the best overall venue in WTT. Venus Williams thrilled the home crowd on July 7 by winning all three sets she played in a nationally televised contest against the New York Buzz, opening with an exciting 5-4 win over former world number one Martina Hingis.

Meanwhile, Reynolds would emerge as one of the best players in the league, rattling off six straight singles victories to start the season, eventually earning WTT Male Rookie of the Year honors after tying for the best singles record in the league.

But after storming to a 6-1 league best record, the team hit a rough patch. First, Serena Williams announced that she would be unable play her four matches for the Kastles due to a foot injury. In her absence, the team dropped four straight matches. Victoria Azarenka, a WTA star ranked as high as 7th in singles and 6th in doubles last year, was acquired to give the team a spark through the remainder of the season and the playoffs, but she fell short in her first match with a 5-1 singles loss to the streaking Coco Vandeweghe of the Boston Lobsters after entering the final set of the July 18th Sunday night home match with the match score tied and a virtual lock on a playoff bid on the line.

With their playoff hopes now in doubt, the Kastles showed their toughness with two straight must-wins at home, first against John McEnroe and the rival New York Sportimes, and then Anna Kournikova and the St. Louis Aces. The victories opened the window to allow the Kastles to not just make the playoffs, but also win the Eastern Conference if they could beat the Boston Lobsters on the road to finish the regular season.

Unfortunately, the Kastles came up short in Boston. Their 8-6 record tied Boston for the second spot on the Conference but the team lost the tiebreaker to make the playoffs by virtue of losing both head-to-head matches to the Lobsters. So the Kastles had to sit back and watch the WTT Playoffs this year from home.

In the end, it was a season of streaks. The quick start followed by a string of losses, followed by a couple of big wins, but ending with the showdown in Boston. Ultimately, the Kastles 0-2 record in the two matches against the Lobsters proved their undoing.

Still, the Kastles had a strong 2010 campaign, highlighted by a 5-2 home mark, and memories to last a lifetime for both the players and fans.

Bobby Reynolds Named 2010 WTT Male Rookie of the Year

Bobby Reynolds was the Kastles #1 overall draft choice in 2010.

The Washington Kastles knew they had someone special when they selected Bobby Reynolds with the first overall pick in the 2010 World TeamTennis draft. Reynolds justified the choice all season with his play, and now the league has recognized him as this year's Male Rookie of the Year. The award is based on each player's won-loss record in their two best events.

Fans who followed the Kastles know that Reynolds was the team's catalyst. Often asked to play the first set and give the Kastles the lead right out of the gate, and he usually came through with the win. His emotional fire and energetic play also made him one of the most popular players in Kastles history.

Reynolds finished tied with Rik De Voest of the Springfield Lasers with the best male singles record in WTT. Out of 115 games played, he won 64. He and the Kastles' Leander Paes also made up the fourth-best doubles team in the league.

The rookie showed his grit in the very first contest of the season, when he played the final set in a road match against the New York Sportimes. Down 16-13 overall and going up against the talented Jesse Witten, Reynolds won the set 5-4 then tied the overall match by winning two consecutive games in overtime including breaking Witten's serve. He would lose the match in a supertiebreaker, but his effort gave notice that he was a force to be reckoned with in the league.

After that opening loss, he would extend his winning streak in singles sets to six straight matches, and secured several clutch wins during the season including a memorable victory over the Sportimes' John McEnroe at home.

"I loved playing my first season of World TeamTennis and couldn't have played for a finer organization, from top to bottom, than the Kastles," said Reynolds upon hearing that he had won the award. "With so many great players in the league, I am very honored to be the Rookie of the Year."

The Kastles congratulate Bobby Reynolds on being named WTT Male Rookie of the Year Award as well as for his fantastic 2010 season!

2010 Kastles Final Statistics

Team Rankings

#1 in Men's Singles (Tied)

#1 in Mixed Doubles

#5 in Men's Doubles

#6 in Women's Doubles

#9 in Women's Singles

Individual League Leaders

Bobby Reynolds - Tied for 1st in Men's Singles

Leander Paes - 2nd in Mixed Doubles

Leander Paes/Bobby Reynolds - 4th in Men's Doubles

Angela Haynes - 6th in Women's Doubles

Rennae Stubbs - 6th in Mixed Doubles

Kansas City Explorers defeat New York Sportimes 21-18 to win first World TeamTennis title

KANSAS CITY, MO. (July 25, 2010) - The Kansas City Explorers captured their first World TeamTennis title with a 21-18 win over the New York Sportimes at the WTT Finals presented by GEICO and the City of Kansas City on Sunday evening in Kansas City, Mo.

The Explorers' Jarka Groth and Kveta Peschke set off a celebration with the capacity crowd at Explorers Stadium at Barney Allis Plaza with a 5-3 win over the Sportimes' Ashley Harkleroad and Abi Spears in the final set to give Kansas City their first Championship win in the team's 18-year history.

Jarka Groth credited the Kansas City crowd with helping the Explorers bring home their first title. "Our crowd was awesome tonight and they helped us a lot through the whole three week season," said Groth. "It was a great atmosphere. They pushed us that extra step."

Groth, who was named WTT Finals MVP, dominated throughout the evening as she won all three of her sets and even switched hands to hit a left-handed return during one exchange in women's doubles.

"Jarka deserved the Finals MVP," said Explorers Coach Brent Haygarth. "We rely on her to get us where we need to be and she got us there tonight."

In the opening set, New York's Jesse Witten won three of four 3-all points to edge Mello in men's singles in the opening set of the 2010 WTT Finals. The husband and wife tandem of Jarka and Sam Groth pulled the Explorers even with the Sportimes after mixed doubles with a 5-3. Jarka Groth subbed in for Kveta Peschke with the Explorers trailing 1-2 and closed out her first game with an ace to even the score at 2-2. Kansas City broke Abi Spears' serve in the 7th game to take a 4-3 lead then close out the set with a 5-3 win.

Kansas City took the overall match lead at 10-9 in the third game of men's doubles but the Sportimes countered by winning the next game to bring it even at 2-2 in the set, 10-10 in the match. The Sportimes took the lead when Sam Groth double-faulted in the fifth game of the set to give the Sportimes the 3-2 lead. Robert Kendrick and Witten kept the pressure on the Explorers with a 5-3 win to give the New York team a 13-11 halftime advantage.

In a battle of two of the League's best women's singles players, Jarmila Groth broke Abi Spears' serve three times to post a 5-2 victory and put the Explorers in the overall lead 16-15 going into the final set and set the stage for a dramatic finish.

KANSAS CITY EXPLORERS def. New York Sportimes 21-18

Men's Singles - Jesse Witten (Sportimes) def. Ricardo Mello (Explorers) 5-3

Mixed Doubles - Jarka GrothSamuel Groth (Explorers) def. Robert KendrickAbigail Spears (Sportimes) 5-3

Men's Doubles - Robert KendrickJesse Witten (Sportimes) def. Samuel GrothRicardo Mello (Explorers) 5-3

Women's Singles - Jarka Groth (Explorers) def. Abigail Spears (Sportimes) 5-2

Women's Doubles - Jarka GrothKveta Peschke (Explorers) def. Ashley HarkleroadAbigail Spears (Sportimes) 5-3

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World TeamTennis Stories from July 29, 2010


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