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Washington Kastles

Kastles Winning Streak Comes to an End

July 11, 2013 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


All good streaks must come to an end, even the longest one ever by a major U.S. pro sports team.

One night after winning a record 34th consecutive match, the Kastles were defeated by the Texas Wild 23-18 in Dallas on Wednesday night.

Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds won the opening set 5-3 before the Wild wrestled momentum away and swept the final four sets, taking two in crucial tiebreakers.

Washington led 9-6 overall when second-year Kastle Anastasia Rodionova served to clinch the women's doubles set. But Wild women Eugenie Bouchard and Darija Jurak won the final eight points of the set to cut the Texas deficit to 9-8.

An upset followed in men's singles as Alex Bogomolov Jr. of Texas broke 6-foot-8 big server Kevin Anderson three times en route to a 5-3 victory and a 13-12 Wild advantage overall.

In the mixed doubles fourth set, Washington had three set points in a tiebreaker that would have evened the overall score at 17-17. But Jurak and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi saved all three to steal the set from Paes and Rodionova, giving Texas an 18-16 lead.

Without Martina Hingis in the Kastles lineup on Wednesday, Rodionova was left to face Bouchard with the Kastles' winning streak hanging in the balance.

Bouchard, a 19-year-old Canadian coming off a third-round appearance at Wimbledon, defeated Rodionova 5-2 to end the Kastles' undefeated run, which spanned more than two seasons, and 1,084 days in all.

While Washington's winning streak has come to a close, the Kastles' quest for a fourth Mylan World TeamTennis championship continues on Thursday night when they host former World No. 1 Andy Roddick and the Springfield Lasers at 7 pm. A small number of tickets remain, so get your seats now before it's too late.

MD - L. Paes/B. Reynolds (WAS) def. A. Bogomolov Jr./A. Qureshi (TEX) 5-3

Men's doubles was dominated by servers. Reynolds hit three aces and won seven of eight points on his first serve. The ninth-ranked Paes enjoyed similar success, claiming four of five points on his first serve and four of five on his second as well.

For the Wild, 12th-ranked Qureshi swept all eight points when he made his first serve. The only weak link was Bogomolov, who survived in his first service game by winning a deciding 3-all point.

But serving at 3-3 in the set, the Kastles made no mistake on another 3-all point, breaking Bogomolov before Paes served out the set to give Washington the early lead.

SCORE: Washington 5, Texas 3

Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds are 3-0 on the season.

(Photo by Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA)

WD - E. Bouchard/D. Jurak (TEX) def. A. Kudryavtseva/A. Rodionova (WAS) 5-4

Though Wednesday marked Alla Kudryavtseva's first action as a Kastle, she and Rodionova had plenty of experience as a team, having competed in 11 WTA doubles tournaments together.

They got off to an ideal start, breaking Bouchard on a 3-all deciding point in the very first game.

Washington maintained its one-break lead throughout much of the set, though it wasn't easy. Kudryavtseva saved three break points serving at 1-0 and two more at 3-2.

Bouchard and Darija Jurak countered with holds of their own until the set was on Rodionova's racquet at 4-3. This time, the Kastles could not dodge danger and the Wild broke to force a tiebreak, which they ran away with 5-0 to come within one game in the overall score.

SCORE: Washington 9, Texas 8

MS - A. Bogomolov Jr. (TEX) def. K. Anderson (WAS) 5-3

The 6-foot-8 Anderson entered play tonight having not faced a single break point through two matches. He was also 4-0 lifetime against Bogomolov on the ATP World Tour.

But Wednesday simply was not his night as Bogomolov broke Anderson's typically-untouchable serve on three occasions.

Despite five double faults in the set and an early 0-3 deficit, Anderson did help the Kastles' cause. He broke Bogomolov twice to keep the set close, including when he was down two set points at 2-4.

After saving one set point, Anderson won the deciding 3-all point by cracking a monster forehand return down the line that screamed past Bogomolov for a winner.

Back on serve at 3-4, however, Anderson was broken on a 3-all point when he went for another down-the-line winner, only to watch the ball miss its mark.

Had Anderson held and won a tiebreak, the Kastles would have led 14-12 at the half. Instead, they found themselves trailing 13-12.

SCORE: Texas 13, Washington 12

MXD - A. Qureshi/D. Jurak (TEX) def. L. Paes/A. Rodionova (WAS) 5-4

After Anderson's service troubles, Paes started the mixed doubles set in similar fashion, double-faulting twice to concede his serve in the opening game.

The Wild maintained their one-break lead until Jurak served up 4-3. On their very first break point of the set, Paes and Rodionova converted to force a tiebreaker.

Washington jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak, earning three set points on Jurak's serve. Having just broken the Croatian, the Kastles must have been confident that they could win one of the next three points to tie the overall score at 17-17.

But Jurak stepped up when her team needed her most, making three consecutive first serves. Paes missed the return on the first and was passed on the second, leaving the alley open a split-second too soon to allow Jurak a hole to hit a winner into.

At 4-4, the team that won the next point would win the set. It was the Wild who seized control on a serve from Jurak that Rodionova could not return.

Paes and Rodionova were 7-1 in mixed doubles play last season, but fell to 0-1 in 2013.

Score: Texas 18, Washington 16

WS - E. Bouchard (TEX) def. A. Rodionova (WAS) 5-2

Over the course of 34 consecutive victories, the Kastles had overcome three deficits going into the final set.

But playing her first singles set of the season against the 56th-ranked player in the world, Rodionova was battling more than a two-game gap.

To her credit, the Kastle fought valiantly, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to even the set at 2-2. On a critical 3-all point in the fifth game, Bouchard bombed a serve down the tee that Rodionova could not return.

The winner of that point seemed destined to finish strong, and that proved to be true as Bouchard ran off the final three games of the match to clinch victory for the Wild in their very first home match since moving from Missouri after the 2012 season.

Ironically, Washington's 34-match win streak began in its home opener at a new venue: a 21-18 victory over the Kansas City Explorers on July 5, 2011 at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf.

The Explorers would go on to become the Texas Wild.

SCORE: Texas 23, Washington 18

Washington Kastles vs. Springfield Lasers Preview

Roddick Visits as Kastles Hope to Rebound From Loss of Streak

Washington Kastles (2-1) vs. Springfield Lasers (2-1)

Thursday, July 11 at 7:00 pm Tickets: Ticketmaster.com (Very limited availability) All-Time: Kastles lead Lasers 6-1 Last Meeting: Kastles def. Lasers 25-14 on July 28, 2012 (Springfield, Mo.)

Television and Internet Coverage Television: Comcast SportsNet Live Stream: WashingtonKastles.com (DC Blackout) Live Scoring: WashingtonKastles.com Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (#RefuseToLose)

Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick is known for his big serve. But last week, it was his big words that caught the attention of Kastles fans.

Speaking about the Kastles' winning streak, Roddick said: "I certainly hope it's still alive when we get there July 11. I'd love to be a part of ending it."

Roddick's wish won't be granted after the Texas Wild defeated the Kastles on Wednesday night. But don't think that Kastles players have forgotten his fighting words.

Roddick leads the Springfield Lasers into Kastles Stadium at The Wharf tonight for one of the Mid-Atlantic's marquee events of the summer.

The team released some good seats late and around 100 tickets remain for tonight's match as of this writing. Be there for Roddick's first match in DC since 2010 by securing your seats on Ticketmaster.com.

If you can't make it to the Southwest Waterfront, there are several other ways in which you can enjoy the Kastles' clash with Roddick. Live television coverage on Comcast SportsNet begins at 7 pm, or if you live outside the DC region, you can enjoy live video streaming at WashingtonKastles.com.

SET-BY-SET PROJECTIONS

MS - K. Anderson (WAS) vs. A. Roddick (SPR)

If you're sitting in the front row at tonight's match, do not take your eye off of a single point during the men's singles set. If you do, you just might get clocked with a 140 mile-per-hour ace. Roddick and Kevin Anderson are among the biggest serves in tennis. They have split four prior meetings on the ATP World Tour, with Anderson winning their two most recent matches at Delray Beach in 2012 and at Beijing in 2011.

WS - A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. V. King (SPR) The Lasers' Vania King has bitter memories of playing in DC. She held three championship points for Springfield against the Kastles in the 2009 WTT Finals before being stunned by Olga Puchkova. Tonight, King takes on Anastasia Rodionova in an all-too familiar match-up. They have played nine times on the WTA Tour, with King leading 5 wins to 4. Rodionova won their last match 6-4, 6-4 at Pattaya City in January.

MD - L. Paes/B. Reynolds (WAS) vs. A. Roddick/J. Rojer (SPR) Lost in his singles success, Roddick is a very talented doubles player. He captured four ATP doubles titles overall, including the 2009 ATP Masters 1000 championship at Indian Wells. He also won at Indianapolis in 2006 with a rising American named Bobby Reynolds. In tonight's star-studded doubles set Reynolds and World No. 9 Leander Paes will have their hands full with Roddick and World No. 13 Jean-Julien Rojer.

WD - A. Kudryavtseva/A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. V. King/A. Kleybanova (SPR) Springfield boasts a pair of former Top 10 doubles players in King and Alisa Kleybanova. King in particular is a standout at the net, having used her quick hands and delicate feel to win the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open titles. Tonight, they meet the experienced Kastles team of Rodionova and Alla Kudryavtseva, who are partners on the WTA Tour. The substitute Kudryavtseva is making her Kastles Stadium debut.

MXD - L. Paes/A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. J. Rojer/A. Kleybanova (SPR) Lasers coach John Laffnie De Jager opted to play Kleybanova, and not King, in mixed for Springfield's first three matches. The Russian and Rojer have lost two of the three sets, so a switch to King is possible. As for the Kastles, with Martina Hingis returning to the lineup next week, this may be Rodionova's only mixed set at Kastles Stadium this season. Her play tonight may go a long way in determining the match's outcome.

KEY FOR THE KASTLES - SEND ANDERSON OUT IN STYLE

Tonight marks the last of four matches that Anderson will be playing for the Kastles this season.

His impact has coincided with his size: HUGE. In 10 service games at home, Anderson has hit 11 aces and not faced a single break point.

Kastles coach Murphy Jensen will hope for a similar performance out of his men's singles player with the powerful Roddick in town tonight.

If Anderson can knock off Roddick, his teammates will surely feel more at ease in their own sets, which all promise to be tightly contested. But if the 22nd-ranked Anderson goes down, the Lasers have enough talent to hand Washington back-to-back losses for the first time since 2010.

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