WTT Washington Kastles

ESPN3 to Air 5 Kastles Matches

Published on June 25, 2014 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


For the first time ever, the Washington Kastles will bring their championship brand of team tennis to the ESPN family of sports networks.

Mylan World TeamTennis announced a long-term partnership with ESPN on Tuesday that will see one WTT match streamed live on ESPN3.com each day during the 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons.

ESPN3 will also stream the Eastern Conference Championship, Western Conference Championship and Mylan WTT Finals, with ESPN2 picking up the 2014 championship match already in progress on July 27 at 6 pm.

The Kastles will be featured five times on ESPN3 live streams during the 2014 regular season:

DATE TIME MATCH FEATURING

7/09 7:00 pm vs BOS Kevin Anderson, Martina Hingis

7/11 8:30 pm at AUS M. Hingis, A. Roddick, M. Bartoli

7/14 7:00 pm vs SAN Martina Hingis, Daniela Hantuchova

7/16 7:00 pm vs TEX Venus Williams, Martina Hingis

7/17 7:00 pm at PHL Venus Williams

Mark your calendars for Washington's road matches against the Austin Aces on July 11 and Philadelphia Freedoms on July 17.

Martina Hingis leads the Kastles against an Aces team that features World No. 1 Andy Roddick and 2013 Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli. Roddick will be eager to erase memories of his last encounter with the Kastles, when his former team, the Springfield Lasers, lost to Washington 25-12 in the 2013 Mylan WTT Finals.

Six days after Hingis goes head-to-head against Bartoli in a battle of past Wimbledon champs, Venus Williams will meet 18-year-old American sensation Victoria Duval in Philadelphia. Duval grew up idolizing Venus and told the story of how the two met on an episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last year (Video).

Washington's July 16 home match against the Texas Wild will be broadcasted nationally and regionally on three different channels. Tennis fans can tune in to Tennis Channel, CSN Washington or ESPN3 at 7 pm to see Venus and Hingis play doubles together for the first time ever.

Television coverage and live streaming are great, but nothing compares to catching a Kastles match live!

Tickets to see Venus and Hingis lead the Kastles on July 16 start at only $20 -- the cheapest they have ever been for a Kastles match featuring a Williams sister. Don't wait until they are all gone; secure your seats today at Ticketmaster.com.

Venus, Kvitova to Play Friday in Clash of Champions

Kevin Anderson Also Advances to Third Round at Wimbledon

Men's & Women's Doubles Play Underway; Mixed Draws Released

Venus Williams and No. 6 seed Petra Kvitova will meet at Wimbledon on Friday in a Clash of the Champions.

Venus, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion, and Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon winner, are through to the third round after straight-set victories on Wednesday. Venus, who plays for the Kastles on July 16, defeated Kurumi Nara 7-6(4), 6-1, while Kvitova KO'd Mona Barthel 6-2, 6-0.

Seeded 30th, Venus has been her vintage self on the Wimbledon grass, blasting 87 winners and committing only 32 unforced errors in her first two matches. She beat Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in the opening round on Monday.

But Kvitova has been equally impressive. The left-handed Czech has yet to be broken through two matches, losing only five games in four sets.

All four past matches between Venus and Kvitova have gone the distance, with Kvitova winning the last two in thrilling third-set tiebreakers (2013 Tokyo, 2014 Doha). The Czech leads her head-to-head with Venus 3-1, though they have never met before on grass.

Friday's order of play will not be released until Thursday afternoon. Be sure to visit the WashingtonKastles.com Kastle Tracker to learn the time and court of Venus vs. Kvitova, complete with links to live streaming and scoring. The Kastle Tracker also includes links to full-match replays of all Kastles singles matches so far at Wimbledon.

Venus isn't the only Kastle to advance to the third round at Wimbledon. No. 20 seed Kevin Anderson will face No. 16 seed Fabio Fognini on Friday after eliminating longtime rival Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6(0), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

It was the third Grand Slam match between the 6-foot-8 South African and Roger-Vasselin, who teamed with Julien Benneteau to win the 2014 French Open doubles title.

The Frenchman rallied from two sets down to defeat Anderson at the 2010 French Open, while Anderson returned the favor with a two-set comeback at the 2014 Australian Open.

There would be no such drama on Wednesday, with Anderson shutting Roger-Vasselin out in a first-set tiebreak, then wrapping up the win in four sets.

Anderson's brute power has been on full display at the All England Club. The second-year Kastle has cracked 47 aces and 111 winners through two matches. Don't miss him July 9-10 at Washington's first two home matches.

The Kastles' third Wimbledon singles player, Sloane Stephens, was upset in the first round by former World No. 10 Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 7-6(6). Kirilenko spends much of the year training in D.C. and supporting her superstar fiancé e, Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

Men's and women's doubles play got underway on Wednesday with Venus and Serena Williams rallying to defeat Oksana Kalashnikova and Olga Savchuk 5-7, 6-1, 6-4. The five-time champion Williams sisters improved to 39-2 overall in Wimbledon doubles.

Also on Wednesday, the Wimbledon mixed doubles draw was released, featuring three Kastles players.

Hingis, who fell in the first round of women's doubles, becomes the sixth Kastle to be seeded at Wimbledon. She and third-ranked men's doubles player Bruno Soares are the No. 13 seeds in mixed.

On the opposite half of the draw, Kastles captain Leander Paes is reuniting with former partner Cara Black. The No. 4 seeds won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 2010 and reached the final in 2009.

Anastasia Rodionova of the Kastles is playing with Russian Mikhail Elgin for the first time. While Hingis and Paes have received byes, Rodionova and Elgin will meet British wild cards Ross Hutchins and Heather Watson in the opening round.

There's still time to win three '47 Brand Kastles hats thanks to Washington's winners on Wednesday. Simply follow the Kastles on Twitter and retweet the posts that describe each victory: Anderson, Venus, Venus & Serena.

Tables and Boxes Nearly Sold Out for 2014 Season

Food, Beverages, Parking, VIP Hospitality Among Perks

There are two ways to join the Washington Kastles family. You can train every day, win 14 Grand Slams and earn your spot on the team roster like Leander Paes has done.

Or, you can become a VIP table or box holder, providing you with a premium package of perks that bring you into the Kastles inner circle.

Perfect for groups, families and clients, all Kastles tables and boxes come with four seats, pre-match VIP Hospitality access, VIP parking and invitations to exclusive Kastles social events.

Celebrity Cruises VIP Dream Seats dinner tables also come with a delicious multi-course dinner and an open bar. You never know who your neighbors will be: First Lady Michelle Obama and Basketball Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have enjoyed VIP Dream Seats in past seasons. Located on the lower level along the south sideline, these extremely-limited tables cost $6,000.

Premier Courtside Boxes are the closest sideline seats to the court, bringing you only feet from the fast-paced Kastles action. You'll never have to leave your great view thanks to in-seat food and beverage service. Fifteen fewer Premier Courtside Boxes are available in 2014, so don't wait to get yours for $3,500.

Kastles Boxes are now located much closer to the court than they were at The Wharf. With angled views from the baseline, you'll make eye contact with the players between points and never bob your head back-and-forth to track the tennis ball again. Only one Kastles Box remains this season. If you want it, come and get it for $2,000.

All Celebrity Cruises VIP Dream Seats, Premier Courtside Boxes and Kastles Boxes can be purchased by contacting Kastles ticket manager John Coleman at 202-654-7047 or via E-mail.

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World TeamTennis Stories from June 25, 2014


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