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Washington Kastles

Eastern Conference Championship Match Tonight at 7 Pm vs. Philadelphia

July 30, 2015 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Anastasia Rodionova and Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
Anastasia Rodionova and Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
(Washington Kastles, Credit: Kevin Koski)

The Philadelphia Freedoms will go from the Kastles' biggest fans to bitter enemies in the Eastern Conference Championship match tonight.

On Wednesday, the Freedoms needed Washington to defeat the Boston Lobsters in order to qualify for the postseason. Now that they're in, Philadelphia coach Josh Cohen and his team hope to hand Murphy Jensen's Kastles their first-ever playoff loss (10-0).

Washington defeated Philadelphia in two of three regular-season matches, but neither lineup is the same this evening.

Wimbledon women's and mixed doubles champion Martina Hingis did not play for the Kastles against the Freedoms this season. She'll be opposed tonight by Wimbledon singles quarterfinalist CoCo Vandeweghe, who has not faced the Kastles since losing a final-set tiebreaker to Venus Williams in the 2012 WTT Finals.

Washington and Philadelphia also met for the 2014 Eastern Conference Championship. The Kastles led 12-11 when former Freedom Liezel Huber left with a concussion in the fourth set, allowing Washington to run away with the match 21-16.

Returning from last year's Freedoms team are French Open men's doubles champion Marcelo Melo and 19-year-old American Taylor Townsend. They are joined by former World No. 15 Robby Ginepri. Washington counters with Hingis, the second-ranked doubles player in the world, and three other Top 32 players: Sam Querrey, Leander Paes and Anastasia Rodionova.

As thanks for our fans' overwhelming support in 2015, fan-appreciation pricing is being offered for tonight's match and the Mylan WTT Finals Sunday at 11:30 am.

You don't want to miss history in the making and the Kastles' quest for their fifth straight Mylan WTT title and sixth in seven years. There is nothing like a watching your hometown team win a championship, so bring your friends and family and leave with memories for a lifetime.

Tickets start at only $10 for one playoff match and $15 for both! If you'd like to be on top of the action, courtside seats, boxes and dinner tables are also very attractively priced from $50 per match and $75 for both.

For single-match tickets, please visit Ticketmaster.com or the Smith Center box office. For Washington's two-match playoff plan, please visit the Smith Center box office or call the Kastles office at 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647).

SET-BY-SET PROJECTIONS

MS - S. Querrey (WAS) vs. R. Ginepri (PHL)

Querrey's Kastles debut came against Ginepri in Philadelphia on July 20. The first-year Kastle won all seven points when he made his first serve and broke his countryman twice en route to a 5-2 win. Ginepri, who substituted for the Kastles in 2008, is still seeking his first singles win against his former team. The 2005 US Open semifinalist lost 5-4 to Bobby Reynolds on July 13, 2012, and twice to Denis Kudla earlier this season.

WS - M. Hingis (WAS) vs. C. Vandeweghe (PHL)

After beating three seeds in straight sets at Wimbledon, Vandeweghe poses the biggest challenge that Hingis has faced all season, However, the World No. 32 is entering tonight's match on a low note. She lost 5-2 to Boston's Irina Falconi on Monday, then trailed Falconi 3-1 in a rematch on Tuesday before being replaced by Townsend. Hingis will want to extend rallies and test Vandeweghe's consistency from the baseline.

MD - L. Paes/S. Querrey (WAS) vs. R. Ginepri/M. Melo (PHL)

In 2014, the 6-foot-8 Melo earned Mylan WTT Male MVP honors thanks to successful partnerships with Huber and Frank Dancevic. Now ranked third in the men's doubles rankings on tour, Melo hasn't enjoyed the same WTT results with Ginepri. Melo and Ginepri, a singles specialist, finished the regular season 11 games under .500. They did, however, break both Querrey and Paes en route to a 5-4 win in Philadelphia on July 20.

WD - M. Hingis/A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. T. Townsend/C. Vandeweghe (PHL)

Doubles chemistry between Vandeweghe and Townsend has also been lacking. After winning their first two sets as a team, they've lost three straight. That does not bode well against one of the best women's doubles teams in Mylan World TeamTennis: Hingis and Rodionova. Though Hingis played a shortened season, she and Rodionova needed no time to readjust, going 4-1 in sets and 24-11 in games as women's doubles partners.

MXD - L. Paes/M. Hingis (WAS) vs. M. Melo/T. Townsend (PHL)

In the Kastles three meetings with the Freedoms during the regular season, Melo and Townsend swept Paes and Rodionova in mixed doubles, outscoring the Washington duet 15-6. While Rodionova has improved since then, Hingis will take over with her Wimbledon and Australian Open championship partner. With three of this year's major champions on court, expect the 19-year-old Townsend to see a lot of balls in mixed doubles tonight.

Kastles Spoil Lobsters' Playoff Hopes, Win 22-14

Querrey, Hingis Win Big in Singles to Build Playoff Momentum

With home-court advantage safely secured, the Kastles played the role of playoff spoiler Wednesday, preventing the Boston Lobsters from a postseason berth with a 22-14 win.

Boston's loss is Philadelphia's gain as the Freedoms find themselves in an Eastern Conference Championship rematch with the Kastles tonight at 7 pm.

Take advantage of fan-appreciation pricing: Tickets are available from $10 and VIP courtside seats from $50 on Ticketmaster.com and at the Smith Center box office. Great savings are also available when you attend the Mylan WTT Finals Sunday at 11:30 am. Visit the box office or call the Kastles office at 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) to purchase Washington's two-match playoff plan.

A night after losing 10 of 11 games in singles to the Austin Aces, the Kastles won 10 of 11 singles games courtesy of Martina Hingis and Sam Querrey, beating Boston for the 18th straight time dating back to July 22, 2010.

Querrey began the match in men's doubles, which featured strong Kastles serves and surprising volleys by Lobsters substitute Christian Harrison. Querrey hit an ace in each of his two service games, and Leander Paes added one of his own as Washington held four times with ease.

But the 21-year-old Harrison countered with quick hands in Boston's service games, hitting three volley winners to help Scott Lipsky hold at 1-1, then two more to help him even the set at 3-3.

However, when Harrison served at 3-4 in the set and 3-1 in the game, the young American was unable to force a tiebreaker -- Washington stealing the set 5-3 with a backhand return winner from Querrey.

In the second set, Hingis had no trouble handling the 5-foot-4 Irina Falconi's serve, winning 12 of 15 return points against the World No. 75.

The Swiss broke to start the set when Falconi netted a backhand on a 3-all point. She followed with a forehand volley winner to hold for 2-0. Four misses from Falconi made it 3-0 before the Lobster landed two forehand winners to get one of the breaks back.

But Hingis hit another forehand volley winner for her third break and a 4-1 lead, then clinched the set 5-1 when Falconi netted a forehand return on a 3-all point.

Hingis stayed on court for the third set of mixed doubles, which started promising for Washington.

After being broken to begin their two previous mixed doubles sets, Paes and Hingis swept their first 10 service points against Lipsky and Arantxa Parra Santonja.

Yet, when Hingis served at 3-3, Washington suddenly encountered trouble, with Parra Santonja outrallying the Hall-of-Famer in baseline exchanges. Then, on break point, Lipsky put an overhead away to give Parra Santonja the opportunity to serve for the set.

With newfound confidence, the Lobsters finished the set off 5-3 with four winners, including a left-handed overhead by Lipsky and an ace out wide by Parra Santonja.

Washington led 13-9 at halftime, but Boston wasn't done trimming the Kastles' advantage.

The red-hot team of Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova stormed ahead 3-1 in women's doubles. However, a pair of double faults by Rodionova and a down-the-line backhand return winner by Parra Santonja allowed Boston to break back for 3-3.

After Parra Santonja held for 4-3, the Lobsters reached 3-all on Hingis' serve by winning a phenomenal point -- the Spaniard reaching a drop shot near the cameraman before Falconi covered the vacant space and hit a stretch backhand volley winner.

Kastles coach Murphy Jensen called timeout before deciding point, and the 20 extra seconds helped Hingis hit a service winner out wide to force a tiebreaker.

The Kastles won the first two points of the tiebreak on Falconi's serve, but Boston took the next four to put Hingis in a precarious position serving at 2-4. Hingis saved one set point with an unreturnable serve, but Parra Santonja converted the second for Boston by hitting a down-the-line backhand return winner.

Now leading 17-14, Washington sent Querrey out for the final set of men's singles against Harrison, who was playing just his second match in two years following a string of surgeries.

The gap in experience and power was glaring as Querrey won 20 of 23 points in the set, quickly holding for 1-0 before breaking for 2-0 with an inside-out forehand that caught Harrison off guard.

In the next game, Querrey hit three straight lightning-like aces to extend his lead to 3-0. He secured a second break with defensive skills, stretching for a squash forehand winner. Then, he topped his three consecutive aces with three forehand winners in a row to sweep the set 5-0 and clinch the match for Washington 22-14.




Images from this story

Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
(Oliver Devine)		 Sam Querrey of the Washington Kastles
Sam Querrey of the Washington Kastles
(Oliver Devine)		 Leander Paes and Sam Querrey of the Washington Kastles
Leander Paes and Sam Querrey of the Washington Kastles
(Kevin Koski)
Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
(Kevin Koski)		 Arantxa Parra Santonja Congratulated by the Boston Lobsters Bench
Arantxa Parra Santonja Congratulated by the Boston Lobsters Bench
(Kevin Koski/Washington Kastles)		 Anastasia Rodionova and Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
Anastasia Rodionova and Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles
(Kevin Koski)

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