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 Washington Kastles

2014 Kastles Year in Review

December 30, 2014 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Kastles Players to Begin 2015 Tennis Season Next Week

Hingis, Rodionova, Paes Led Kastles to Fantastic Finish in 2014

What is it about Mylan World TeamTennis that brings out the best in the Washington Kastles? After capturing the King Trophy on July 27 for the fourth consecutive season and fifth time in six years, Kastles players took their winning ways with them on the WTA and ATP World Tour.

Leander Paes played for the doubles title at D.C.'s Citi Open one week after the Kastles routed the Springfield Lasers 25-13 in the Mylan WTT Finals.

Six days later, Venus Williams stunned her sister Serena Williams at the Rogers Cup in Montréal, defeating the World No. 1 for the first time in five years.

Four weeks after that, Martina Hingis competed in the 25th Grand Slam final of her Hall-of-Fame career following a Cinderella run with Flavia Pennetta at the US Open.

Hingis, Paes and Anastasia Rodionova all won doubles titles this fall, with Rodionova's triumph at the Tianjin Open earning her a place in the prestigious year-end WTA Finals.

After another WTT title sparked a sensational end to their season, Kastles players are eager to return to action in Asia, Australia and New Zealand next week. Until they do, enjoy this exclusive Kastle-by-Kastle review of 2014 and a look ahead to the new year.

Mylan WTT Finals MVP Martina Hingis could return to the top of the tennis world in 2015.

MARTINA HINGIS

2014 Year-End Doubles Ranking: No. 11

2014 Tour Record: 27-11 with 3 Titles in 5 Finals

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: Since Hingis joined the Kastles in 2013, Washington is 22-2 with her in the lineup and 4-4 without. In 2014, Hingis went 7-2 in women's singles, 9-2 in mixed doubles and 10-1 in women's doubles, bringing her two-year total to 55 sets won and 12 lost. She swept all three of her sets during the Mylan WTT Finals to earn MVP honors and lead the Kastles to a 25-13 victory over the host Springfield Lasers.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Martina Hingis def. Olga Govortsova (Lasers) 5-2 in the Mylan WTT Finals. After Govortsova gave Springfield a 2-0 lead in that set and a 6-5 lead in the match, Hingis won four deciding points to turn the match around for the Kastles.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: Hingis peaked at No. 9 in the world doubles rankings on Oct. 20 despite playing only 14 events in 2014, fewest of any player in the Top 15. She made the most of her matches by capturing WTA Premier titles at Miami, Wuhan and Moscow. Hingis and Pennetta nearly won the US Open too, defeating three seeded teams before falling to Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in a terrific three-set final.

BEST TOUR WIN: Martina Hingis/Flavia Pennetta def. [3] Cara Black/Sania Mirza 6-2, 6-4 in the US Open semifinals. Hingis met Mirza and Black five times with four partners in 2014, highlighted by this win that sent her into her first Grand Slam final since 2006.

2015 PREVIEW: As the youngest women's or men's World No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Hingis was the greatest teen in tennis history. In 2015, when she turns 35, the Swiss could rewrite her story by reclaiming the No. 1 doubles ranking. Hingis has 10 ranking points to defend and as many as 7,490 to gain at four of the five biggest tournaments of the year (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, WTA Finals).

Anastasia Rodionova played for the Kastles this season after reaching the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

ANASTASIA RODIONOVA

2014 Year-End Doubles Ranking: No. 18

2014 Tour Record: 37-20 with 3 Titles in 4 Finals

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: Rodionova and Hingis have won 16 of their last 18 doubles sets dating back to 2013. But Rodionova's most valuable performance in 2014 came without the Swiss star by her side. Reeling from a 24-10 loss to Springfield, the Kastles needed a road spark against the Boston Lobsters on July 19. Rodionova provided it by sweeping the singles, doubles and mixed doubles sets -- all by a 5-1 score.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Anastasia Rodionova def. Sharon Fichman (Lobsters) 5-1 on July 19. Rodionova dominated the 83rd-ranked Fichman all night long, including 5-1 wins in women's doubles with substitute Shelby Rogers and mixed doubles with Paes.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: Rodionova entered 2014 having teamed with 100 different women during her career. She ended the year still at 100, and stability served her well. Rodionova and former Kastles substitute Alla Kudryavtseva won titles at Brisbane, Dubai and Tianjin; reached career-high rankings of No. 15 on Sept. 8; and defeated US Open champs Makarova and Vesnina 4-6, 6-2, [10-6] in their WTA Finals debut.

BEST TOUR WIN: [6] Anastasia Rodionova/Alla Kudryavtseva def. [1] Sara Errani/Roberta Vinci 7-6(3), 2-6, [10-8] in the China Open quarterfinals. Rodionova was 0-8 against the World No. 1s before beating them in Beijing with Kudryavtseva.

2015 PREVIEW: Coming off a stellar season with Rodionova, Kudryavtseva is reportedly playing with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 2015. Having a new partner is anything but new for Rodionova; she has teamed with 11 different women at the Australian Open alone. Don't be surprised to see her back with younger sister and ex-Kastle Arina Rodionova, who ended 2014 at a career-high No. 65 in doubles.

Leander Paes is expected to join Anastasia Rodionova in the "100 Partners Club" this season.

LEANDER PAES

2014 Year-End Doubles Ranking: No. 29

2014 Tour Record: 26-16 with 1 Title in 2 Finals

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: Paes was back at his best for Washington after missing five matches in 2013 with a hamstring injury. The two-time WTT Male MVP won 11 of 16 mixed doubles sets with four different partners and improved to 48-21 all-time in men's doubles with Bobby Reynolds. A major change awaits Paes in 2015 as the Kastles seek a replacement for Reynolds, who retired following the 2014 Mylan WTT Finals.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Leander Paes/Bobby Reynolds def. Ross Hutchins/Michael Russell (Lasers) 5-2 in the Mylan WTT Finals. The Kastles duo avenged a regular-season loss to Hutchins and Russell, giving Reynolds one last win before retirement.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: Paes extended his run of 18 consecutive seasons with an ATP World Tour doubles title when he and Marcin Matkowski won the Malaysian Open in September. But two of Paes' other impressive streaks came to an end this year. The 14-time Grand Slam champion failed to reach a major final for the first time since 2002, then he missed out on a 10th-straight appearance at the year-end championships.

BEST TOUR WIN: Leander Paes/Rohan Bopanna def. Ilija Bozoljac/Nenad Zimonjic 1-6, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3, 8-6 in the Davis Cup World Group Playoffs. Paes rallied for his 41st Davis Cup doubles win, one shy of the record set by Nicola Pietrangeli in 1972.

2015 PREVIEW: An important year awaits Paes, who hopes to strengthen his ranking in an effort to qualify for the 2016 Olympics. Paes begins his 2015 campaign with the 99th men's doubles partner of his career, 2014 Australian Open finalist Raven Klaasen, who plays Mylan WTT for the San Diego Aviators. In mixed doubles, Paes and his Kastles teammate Hingis will make their much-anticipated tour debut at the Australian Open.

Venus Williams received a hero's welcome when she returned to the Kastles lineup on July 16.

VENUS WILLIAMS

2014 Year-End Singles Ranking: No. 19

2014 Tour Record: 32-14 with 1 Title in 4 Finals

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: On July 16, Williams played her first Kastles match since leading Washington to the 2012 WTT Championship. As if Williams' return wasn't enough to excite D.C. tennis fans, she teamed with her lifelong rival Hingis for the first time. Though Washington won on that night, the Philadelphia Freedoms handed Williams her first loss as a Kastle on July 17, ending an 11-0 start to her Kastles career.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Venus Williams/Martina Hingis def. Darija Jurak/Anabel Medina Garrigues (Wild) 5-2 on July 16. With a sold-out crowd on hand at the Smith Center, the living legends mixed power and finesse to spark the Kastles to a 23-18 victory.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: A healthy Williams competed at all four Grand Slams for the first time since 2010 and rose from No. 49 to No. 19 in the rankings. She did so by winning the Dubai title and reaching finals at Auckland, Montréal and Québec City. Besides beating her sister Serena Williams, Venus earned victories this season over fellow former World No. 1s Ana Ivanovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka.

BEST TOUR WIN: Venus Williams def. [1] Serena Williams 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-3 in the Rogers Cup semifinals. Stepping inside the baseline to take time away from her sister, Venus snapped a five-match losing streak against Serena to reach the Montréal final.

2015 PREVIEW: Williams has not reached the fourth round of a major since 2011, but that looks likely to change in 2015. She lost in three sets at all four Grand Slams last season, including a Wimbledon thriller against Petra Kvitova that TENNIS.com rated the third-best match of 2014. Kvitova dropped 18 games in her 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-5 win over Williams and 26 in her six other victories en route to the Wimbledon title.

Kevin Anderson reached back-to-back singles finals at Delray Beach and Acapulco in 2014.

KEVIN ANDERSON

2014 Year-End Singles Ranking: No. 16

2014 Tour Record: 38-24 with 2 Finals

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: For the second straight season, 6-foot-8 Kevin Anderson represented the Kastles at their first two home matches. In 2013, those were the 33rd and 34th consecutive wins during Washington's record-setting winning streak. Anderson served the Kastles well once again in 2014 as the South African aced his way to a 5-1 win over Rik de Voest of Boston and a 5-2 win over Frank Dancevic of Philadelphia.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Kevin Anderson def. Frank Dancevic (Freedoms) 5-2 on July 10. The World No. 95 Dancevic failed on four break points against Anderson, who ran away with the men's singles set and sparked the Kastles' five-set sweep of the Freedoms.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: On one hand, Anderson defeated World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka three times, rallied from two sets down twice at the Australian Open, and reached a career-high ranking of No. 16 in 2014. On the other hand, he is still seeking his first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, fell to 0-12 lifetime against World No. 7 Tomas Berdych, and couldn't back up any of his wins over Wawrinka in the following round.

BEST TOUR WIN: [17] Kevin Anderson def. [3] Stan Wawrinka 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 in the BNP Paribas Open fourth round. With a dominant third-set performance, Anderson ended the Australian Open champion's 13-match win streak to start the season.

2015 PREVIEW: It took a while, but the balance of power in men's tennis slowly started to shift in 2014. Wawrinka and Marin Cilic won their first Grand Slam titles; Kei Nishikori reached the US Open final; and Ernests Gulbis, Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic made their maiden major semifinals. To enjoy his own breakthrough, Anderson must improve on his 0-13 record against Top 10 players at Grand Slam tournaments.

Sloane Stephens snapped this selfie for a Kastles fan who had her hands full on July 22.

SLOANE STEPHENS

2014 Year-End Singles Ranking: No. 37

2014 Tour Record: 21-20

2014 KASTLES REVIEW: First Lady Michelle Obama was among the 3,275 fans who sold the Smith Center out for Sloane Stephens' Kastles debut on July 22. Stephens did not disappoint, overpowering Olga Govortsova of the Springfield Lasers 5-2. The newest Kastle was all smiles after her win, even teasing Smith Center cameras when they showed her on the Kiss Cam alongside Washington coach Murphy Jensen.

BEST KASTLES WIN: Sloane Stephens def. Olga Govortsova (Lasers) 5-2 on July 22. Govortsova was no match for the Kastles in 2014. The Belarusian lost to Stephens and Rodionova during the regular season before falling to Hingis in the Mylan WTT Finals.

2014 TOUR REVIEW: Stephens was the only woman to reach the fourth round or better at all four Grand Slams in 2013 and at the Australian Open and French Open in 2014. But the 21-year-old American was upset at Wimbledon by 109th-ranked Maria Kirilenko, then at the US Open by 96th-ranked Johanna Larsson. Earlier this month, Stephens started training again with her childhood coach Nick Saviano.

BEST TOUR WIN: [17] Sloane Stephens def. [11] Ana Ivanovic 7-6(3), 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open third round. Stephens earned her first win in three tries against the former World No. 1 Ivanovic before falling in three sets to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta.

2015 PREVIEW: When Stephens stunned Serena Williams at the 2013 Australian Open, she was heralded as the next big thing in American tennis. She backed that result up with five more runs into the second week of a Grand Slam. But as she begins her 2015 campaign, Stephens is still searching for her first WTA title. Fellow Top 50 Americans Madison Keys, CoCo Vandeweghe and Alison Riske got theirs in 2014.

OTHER KASTLES PLAYERS

BOBBY REYNOLDS

The 2014 Mylan WTT Finals marked the end of an era as Kastles closer Bobby Reynolds retired. Reynolds played in all 78 of the team's matches from 2010 through 2014, leading Washington to two perfect seasons, four league titles and a record-setting 34-match win streak. Reynolds, the 2012 WTT Male MVP, won 50 sets in singles and 52 in doubles. Just how valuable was he? When Leander Paes missed nine matches in 2012 and 2013 due to injuries and the Olympics, Reynolds and the Kastles went 9-0.

SHELBY ROGERS

Up-and-comer Shelby Rogers subbed for Martina Hingis at a pair of road matches. The 22-year-old American went 1-1 in doubles with Anastasia Rodionova, but her biggest strides on tour this season came in singles. Rogers defeated five players who finished the year ranked inside the Top 25, including Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard and US Open semifinalist Shuai Peng. With those wins, the World No. 72 was one of four rising stars selected by fans to play in a special invitational held during the WTA Finals.

JARMILA GAJDOSOVOA

One spot ahead of Rogers in the year-end singles rankings is Jarmila Gajdosova, the Kastles' other substitute in 2014. While Rogers made her mark with big-name wins, Gajdosova rose 161 spots this season with strong results in qualifying and ITF tournaments. The Aussie was rewarded with wild cards at Wimbledon and the US Open after winning ITF events in Nottingham and Vancouver respectively. She also qualified at WTA stops in Charleston, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Wuhan.

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