Sports stats

WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Clinch Perfect 14-0 Season with 25-11 Win

July 22, 2011 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


With one final service winner from Bobby Reynolds, the Washington Kastles became the second team in 36 years of World TeamTennis to complete a perfect regular season, defeating the Philadelphia Freedoms 25-11 in front of a sold-out crowd at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf.

Before Thursday, the only franchise to have ever finished a WTT season 14-0 was the 1994 Newport Beach Dukes, who were unable to win the WTT Finals that year.

The Kastles could become the first team to finish a regular and postseason undefeated if they win the Eastern Conference Championship tonight and capture the King Trophy on Sunday.

The historic night opened with mixed doubles as Leander Paes and Rennae Stubbs brought a six-set winning streak into their event against Nathan Healey and Liga Dekmeijere. Make that seven.

The Kastles needed only one break point to win the set 5-2, and it came with Healey serving at 2-3. Paes guessed right on the Freedom's first serve and blasted a forehand return at Healey's feet to draw a volley error.

With Stubbs serving for the set at 4-2, Healey returned the favor with a forehand return winner past Paes to earn a 3-all point. But Stubbs jammed Dekmeijere with a body service winner to win the event for the Kastles.

Stubbs broke the match wide open in the second set with a near-perfect performance, flying around the court and putting away volleys to win women's doubles 5-1 with Arina Rodionova.

On just the third point of the match, Rodionova hit a spectacular crosscourt angle off a Capra dropshot for a winner. Stubbs followed with a stab forehand volley winner to earn a break point in the first game, which the Kastles converted when Dekmeijere netted a forehand.

With Rodionova serving at 3-all in the following game, Stubbs hit her first volley into an open area of the court, which set her up for an easy overhead winner, giving the Kastles a 2-0 lead.

Maryland native Beatrice Capra served for the Freedoms at 0-2, but she too couldn't solve Stubbs and Rodionova. On one point in the game, Stubbs made three straight reflex volleys -- the last off the let cord -- to draw a forehand error from Dekmeijere.

If she wasn't putting a volley away at the net, Stubbs was hitting a strong approach to get there. She hit an overhead winner to give the Kastles another break point, which they converted when Capra hit a lob long.

The Stubbs shotmaking show continued in the fourth game when the Aussie held for 4-0 by digging a volley off the DecoTurf surface before finishing with a swinging forehand volley winner.

Though Dekmeijere got the Freedoms on the scoreboard in the fifth game, the Kastles wrapped the set up 5-1 when Rodionova hit a remarkable overhead from behind the baseline, rushing Capra into a backhand error.

Paes picked up where Stubbs left off with one spectacular shot after another in men's doubles, extending the Kastles lead from 10-3 to 15-6 when he and Reynolds defeated Healey and Brendan Evans 5-3.

The set stayed on serve until the final game, but Paes was on another level from start to finish.

In the second game, he handled an Evans overhead by hitting a reflex backhand volley that drew an error from Healey.

Paes topped that shot at 2-2 when he hit a crosscourt backhand overhead smash off of his back foot, generating so much pace that Healey swung and missed at his volley attempt.

Two games later, Paes dipped even deeper into his bag of tricks, pulling off a behind-the-back backhand volley off of a let cord that kept alive a point that the Kastles eventually won.

Paes won all eight of his service points in the set, giving the Kastles a 4-3 lead on his second easy hold with a 103 mile-per-hour service winner. In the next game, Paes hit two winners, and Reynolds made two strong returns, to help the Kastles break Healey, win the set 5-3, and take a 15-6 lead overall.

Leander Paes provided the sold-out crowd with an impressive array of shots.

Photo by Ned Dishman

A women's singles set followed featuring the local favorite Capra against the Kastles' rookie Rodionova, with the crowd clearly in favor of the player they've come to know as "Hot Rod"

Both players struggled with their rhythm in the early stages, exchanging service breaks to 2-2.

That's when Rodionova found another gear, cracking three winners before breaking for 3-2 when Capra netted a forehand. "Hot Rod" held for 4-2 by retrieving a drop shot and guiding a forehand across the court and inside the sideline for a winner on game point.

Though Capra held for 3-4, Rodionova served out Washington's fourth straight set after hitting a down-the-line forehand winner, and then carving a crosscourt overhead winner.

That gave the Kastles' closer Reynolds a 20-9 lead going into men's singles. And just as he'd done eight times before this season, Reynolds sealed a Washington win in the final set of a match, defeating Brendan Evans 5-2.

With chants of "Bobby" and "MVP" ringing from the capacity crowd, Reynolds took the first break of the set and never looked back.

Leading 2-1, Reynolds broke serve by sprinting to retrieve a drop shot, and then punching a down-the-line forehand winner. Reynolds and the fans seemingly leapt into the air at the same time to celebrate as Evans blasted a tennis ball out of the stadium.

In the following game, Reynolds won the point of the set by withstanding three lobs from Evans before finally smashing an inside-out overhead winner. That prompted Paes to rush onto the court and shine Reynolds shoes with a towel.

Evans held for 2-4, leaving Reynolds to serve out the set, match and perfect regular season. He did so at love, bashing a service winner down the tee on his first match point before being lifted up by Paes.

Following an intimate team huddle with Coach Murphy Jensen, the undefeated team took a victory lap around Kastles Stadium at The Wharf while holding up a WTT banner that read "2011 Best Record".

There is little time for the Kastles to celebrate, however, because the biggest two matches of the summer still await.

Washington will meet Boston in the Eastern Conference Championship match tonight at 7 pm in Charleston, South Carolina. The winner of that match will play the Western Conference champion on Sunday at 5 pm in the WTT Finals.

Both matches will be streamed live on WashingtonKastles.com, courtesy of SunTrust and GEICO. The WTT Finals will also air live on Comcast SportsNet and Tennis Channel.

Bobby Reynolds soaks Head Coach Murphy Jensen after clinching the perfect season.

Photo by Ned Dishman

TONIGHT: Eastern Conference Championship Preview

Boston Lobsters (7-7) vs. Washington Kastles (14-0)

Family Circle Tennis Center

Charleston, South Carolina

Friday, July 22, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Tickets and Travel Packages: FamilyCircleCup.com

Live Streaming presented by SunTrust & GEICO:

WashingtonKastles.com

Real-Time Analysis: Facebook, Twitter

When fans look back at the 2011 Washington Kastles, they will always remember the team's dramatic run through a perfect regular season, featuring five victories by a single game.

But if the team does not win the WTT Finals and capture the King Trophy, the memories will be tainted.

At WTT Championship Weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, the Kastles hope to become the first team in the 36-year history of World TeamTennis to finish both the regular and postseason undefeated.

To get to 16-0, the Kastles must first defeat the Boston Lobsters in the Eastern Conference Championship match tonight at 7 pm.

Two matches behind the New York Sportimes with two matches left in the season, the Lobsters won out while the Sportimes lost back-to-back meetings with the Kastles. Boston won the head-to-head tiebreaker with New York to clinch the spot opposite Washington.

The Kastles dominated the Lobsters in their two regular-season matches, sweeping them 25-10 on July 7th in DC before winning 25-18 on July 16th in Boston.

Washington defeated Boston in nine of 10 sets this season, including five straight at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf in front of Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama.

The Kastles will have the fresher legs of the two teams after traveling on a direct flight from Washington to Charleston. The Lobsters were forced to take the red-eye from Newport Beach, California, after playing a road match there late Thursday night.

As coach of the No. 1 overall seed, Murphy Jensen will decide the all-important order of play for tonight's match.

The Eastern Conference champion will advance to meet the Western Conference champion in the WTT Finals on Sunday at 5 pm.

Thanks to the generosity of our partners SunTrust and GEICO, live streaming will be available for both matches at WashingtonKastles.com, with the WTT Finals also airing live on Comcast SportsNet and Tennis Channel. Tune in at 7 pm sharp tonight for exclusive access to the Kastles vs. Lobsters.

You can also watch the matches in person! Join your fellow "Kastles Krazies" in taking a road trip to the playoffs in beautiful Charleston. Travel packages and tickets are available at FamilyCircleCup.com, with Grandstand seats starting at $15 and Box seats on sale for $50. Call the Kastles Headquarters at 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) for more information.

PROJECTED MATCHUPS

Men's Singles: Bobby Reynolds (WAS) vs. Jan-Michael Gambill (BOS)

Women's Singles: Arina Rodionova (WAS) vs. Irina Falconi (BOS)

Men's Doubles: Reynolds/Leander Paes (WAS) vs. Gambill/Eric Butorac (BOS)

Women's Doubles: Rodionova/Rennae Stubbs (WAS) vs. Falconi/Mashona Washington (BOS)

Mixed Doubles: Paes/Stubbs (WAS) vs. Butorac/Washington (BOS)

SET BY SET

Americans Bobby Reynolds and Jan-Michael Gambill have met four times during their respective WTT careers. The Kastle has never lost to his countryman, including a 5-2 win in DC and a 5-4 victory in Boston this season. Kastles Head Coach Murphy Jensen should still be slightly concerned because Reynolds hasn't played his best tennis outside the nation's capital. He finished 2001 with a 6-1 record inside "The Kastle" and a 3-4 mark away from it.

The Lobsters have used four different women's singles players this season, led by world No. 99 CoCo Vandeweghe. She, however, won't be making the trip to Charleston because of her commitment to this week's WTA tournament in Stanford. In Vandeweghe's place is world No. 102 Irina Falconi, a crafty 21-year-old whose knack for spins and slices allowed her to beat Arina Rodionova of the Kastles 5-4 in Boston on July 16th.

Since losing to the Lobsters 5-0 in the last match of 2010, the Kastles' men's doubles team of Renyolds and Leander Paes have dominated Gambill and Eric Butorac. The Washington men lost only three games combined in their two sets against Gambill and Butorac this season. Paes and Reynolds finished 2011 as the top-ranked doubles team in the entire league.

Ex-Kastle Mashona Washington will team with Falconi against Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs in women's doubles tonight. When the same two teams met on July 16th in Boston, the Kastles clinched a 5-2 win. After a slow start to the season, Stubbs has recovered the form that helped her win the 2008 WTT MVP award. The Aussie has won nine of her last 12 women's doubles sets, including five straight to end the regular season.

Stubbs is also enjoying success in mixed doubles, with seven straight victories alongside Paes. They are likely to meet Washington and Butorac in a rematch from Boston, when the Kastles picked up a narrow 5-4 win. Paes ended the 2011 regular season as the top-ranked mixed doubles player. Stubbs finished fourth in the mixed doubles standings.

KEY FOR THE KASTLES - TREAT TONIGHT LIKE ANY OTHER MATCH

It's hard to say whether Kastles' players will feel more or less pressure now that they've finished the regular season 14-0.

On one hand, they got through the final four matches of the regular season unscathed, having clinched a playoff berth in Boston on July 16th, but needing to keep winning to preserve their perfect record.

On the other hand, they do not want to lose their first playoff match after winning 14 straight. Running the table in the regular season means little without a championship to go with it.

No matter what emotional state the Kastles are in, they can take solace in the fact that they dominated the Lobsters in both of their regular season matches. They won't face anything tonight that they haven't conquered already.

Barring a Boston miracle, the Kastles will reach their second WTT Finals in three years.

Live Streaming of Eastern Conference Championship Tonight!

The Washington Kastles, SunTrust and GEICO are proud to present exclusive live streaming of tonight's Eastern Conference Championship match at 7 pm on WashingtonKastles.com.

Following a flawless regular season, the Kastles are back in the Eastern Conference Championship after a one-year absence.

Tonight's match was not originally scheduled to be broadcasted, but the Kastles, SunTrust and GEICO got together to ensure that the thousands of loyal Kastles fans around the country could watch their team play for a place in the WTT Finals.

The winner of the Eastern Conference Championship match will meet the Western Conference champion in the WTT Finals on Sunday at 5 pm. That match will also be streamed live on WashingtonKastles.com, in addition to airing live on Comcast SportsNet and Tennis Channel.



World TeamTennis Stories from July 22, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central