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 Washington Kastles

How Hingis and Paes Went from Kastles to Grand Slam Champions

May 21, 2015 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Leander Paes and Martina Hingis
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis
(Washington Kastles)

A flight from Mumbai to Melbourne lasts a little over 14 hours. Tack on seven more if you're traveling from Zurich.

But the road that Leander Paes and Martina Hingis took to the Australian Open title can only be measured in years.

Their fairytale run, which resumes next week in Paris, goes all the way back to the 2013 Mylan World TeamTennis Draft in Indian Wells, Calif.

Kastles fans fully expected Paes to return to the team after he skipped a Davis Cup tie to represent Washington in the 2012 WTT Playoffs. What they didn't see coming was a blockbuster trade that brought Hingis, the league's Female MVP, to Washington.

A recent survey by The New York Times concluded that Paes is the best volleyer on the men's tour and Hingis is third-best among women. Put the former World No. 1s side by side and it's a D.C. dream come true.

Paired with Paes, Hingis made an immediate impact in mixed doubles. After losing six of eight sets against Paes the previous three WTT seasons, Hingis went 8-0 alongside the Kastles captain in 2013.

"I thought they would be unbelievable together right away," said their former teammate Bobby Reynolds. "[Hingis] knows exactly where the ball should be hit and is going to be hit, and she's there. She can do everything with it. And with him it's the same thing. When you watch them together, they make tennis look really easy."

Reynolds also pointed out that Paes prefers to return from the deuce court and Hingis is better from the backhand side. That played a pivotal role when Washington hosted the Springfield Lasers in the 2013 WTT Finals.

Hingis handled Andy Roddick's powerful serve and Paes hit a return winner off of Alisa Kleybanova on championship point to capture the King Trophy in front of a sold-out crowd at Kastles Stadium. It wouldn't be their last crowning moment.

"The friendship that I share with Martina is something really special," said Paes. "Playing with her on the Washington Kastles is what built the camaraderie on court that we carried out to the Australian Open."

After joining the Kastles, Hingis played her first Grand Slam in six years at the 2013 US Open. She and Daniela Hantuchova received a wild card into the women's doubles event and took on No. 1 seeds Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the opening round.

The Italians won 6-3, 7-5, but Hingis still had mixed doubles with her Indian partner to look forward to.

Only it wasn't Paes participating in a Kastles reunion. Hingis and Mahesh Bhupathi, the 2006 Australian Open champions, lost in the first round to Robert Lindstedt and Yung-Jan Chan 7-6(5), 7-6(5).

Ironically, Paes had already committed to Hantuchova in mixed doubles. However, they missed the sign-in deadline and were held out of the draw altogether.

Paes and Hantuchova finally debuted at the 2014 Australian Open, reaching the quarterfinals before being eliminated by eventual champions Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic. Hingis, meanwhile, skipped last year's Australian Open and French Open to concentrate on coaching Sabine Lisicki.

With Wimbledon approaching, Hingis played only three matches during the months of April and May. Paes didn't play at all. Nevertheless, signs of a breakthrough were starting to show.

Hingis stopped coaching Lisicki last June to focus on her WTA comeback. Paes returned to the tour for a pair of warm-up tournaments on grass.

Suddenly, the All England Club appeared to be the ideal place for Paes and Hingis to take their team tennis talents to the majors.

But Paes and Cara Black, the 2010 Wimbledon and 2008 US Open champions, agreed to play those two tournaments again. They were unable to find the same form, posting a 2-2 record.

Hingis struggled as well. She and Bruno Soares lost to Nestor and Mladenovic in the Wimbledon quarterfinals before going their separate ways in New York City. Soares won the US Open title with Sania Mirza. Hingis withdrew after her new partner, Lindstedt, suffered an injury in men's doubles.

Leander Paes, Martina Hingis and the rest of the Kastles on the infamous plane ride to Springfield.

It takes at least five wins to capture a Grand Slam mixed doubles title. Paes managed just four across the four majors in 2014. Hingis earned only two.

In between Wimbledon and the US Open, however, Paes and Hingis went 9-2 for the Kastles. They defeated seventh-ranked Marcelo Melo and former World No. 1 Liezel Huber 5-2 to set up a championship rematch with the Lasers.

Paes and Hingis talked about teaming on tour during the 2013 WTT season. But it wasn't until their plane ride to Springfield for the 2014 WTT Finals that the Kastles' dream team became a reality.

Kastles owner Mark Ein, who was also on board, recalls that Paes and Hingis mutually recognized that they could do great things as partners on tour.

Looking six months into the future, and perhaps 12 months into the past, Paes and Hingis vowed to team up in Melbourne.

"That's why we won," said Hingis. "We just played so well in team tennis over the last two years. We definitely feel like we're invincible when we step on court together... Then you go on center court at the Australian Open and you just feel that chemistry."

After repeating as WTT champions and triumphing in Australia, Hingis and Paes have their sights set on the French Open.

Paris is especially meaningful for Paes. The two-time WTT Male MVP has won all four majors in men's doubles and three of the four in mixed. With a win in the French Open mixed doubles final on June 4, Paes will complete his second career Grand Slam.

Another King Trophy could be in his future as well. Paes and Hingis will team up July 26-27 at Kastles Stadium and are available for potential playoff matches on July 30 and August 2.

If Australia is any indication, Paes and Hingis have a lot to look forward to.

The Kastles' duet did not drop a set down under against the world's best players. After losing to the team of Nestor and Mladenovic with other partners, Paes and Hingis defeated them 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open final.

They were better together than they were apart. Kastles fans knew that all along.




Images from this story

Leander Paes and Martina Hingis Celebrate
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis Celebrate

(Willis Bretz)
Leander Paes, Martina Hingis and the Washington Kastles
Leander Paes, Martina Hingis and the Washington Kastles

Leander Paes and Martina Hingis
Leander Paes and Martina Hingis


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