WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Come Back to Beat Empire, 22-18, in Season Opener

Published on July 16, 2018 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles returns a shot
Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles returns a shot
(Washington Kastles, Credit: Jack Gorman)

The Washington Kastles had a great night at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, last night. The team scored their first win of 2018 against the New York Empire in Flushing Meadows in the 43rd season opener of World TeamTennis, presented by GEICO.

The Kastles showed the same kind of resilience and team effort that has led to six WTT championships in ten years by fighting back after dropping the first two sets and prevented a powerful fifth-set rally from the Empire to force extended play. There were several key moments that contributed to Washington's 22-18 victory over New York.

Kastles all-star Madison Brengle and Christina McHale, who played her first match for the Kastles last night as a substitute for Nicole Melichar, who was in London winning the Mixed Doubles crown, forced a first set tiebreaker, after being down 4-1 to the Empire's Tatjana Maria and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in women's doubles. They even earned a chance to win the set in the tiebreak, but at 4-4, New York squeaked out the set to give the Empire an early lead, 5-4.

In the second set, Brengle also put in a solid effort and pushed Tatjana Maria to the brink in women's singles. Though this set also slipped away from Brengle, she fought for every point to keep the overall match score as close as possible, eventually conceding the set, 5-3.

The turning point of the match came midway in the third set, which pitted McHale and Robert Lindstedt against Martinez Sanchez and Neal Skupski in mixed doubles.

Skupski and Martinez Sanchez started strong shooting off to a 3-1 lead and catapulting the Empire to their peak lead, 13-7. But the Empire failed to win another game that set, as Lindstedt and McHale stormed back to take the next four games in a row and the set to shrink New York's lead to a game at halftime, 13-12.

When play resumed in the second half, Kastles sub and world #51 Matt Ebden stunned fans by dismantling WTT star and former World Top 20 Steve Johnson in men's singles. Johnson was a part of the Orange County Breakers champion team last season and is a former WTT Rookie of the Year. But last night it was all one-way traffic for Ebden, who broke the Empire three times to take the set, 5-1, and hand Washington a 17-14 lead heading into the final set.

Pinning their chances on men's doubles in the last set of the night was not a bad idea for the Empire. Skupski and Johnson played Lindstedt and Ebden close, game for game. At one point Skupski and Johnson held a 4-3 lead with a reasonable chance of breaking Lindstedt and forcing the match into extended play. But Lindstedt and Ebden were rock solid and they held to force a tiebreaker pushing the Kastles lead to 21-18.

Still, the match was close, up to 2-2 in the tiebreaker. It was then that Lindstedt hit the shot of the match, a forehand pass down the line to take the lead 3-2. A point later, Lindstedt put away the set with a forehand volley, 5-4(3), and match, 22-18.

The Kastles will play New York again tonight at Kastles Stadium in Washington's home opener.

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Images from this story

Washington Kastles all-star Madison Brengle
Washington Kastles all-star Madison Brengle
(Camerawork USA)		 Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles plays to the crowd
Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles plays to the crowd
(Kevin Koski)		 Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles returns a shot
Frances Tiafoe of the Washington Kastles returns a shot
(Jack Gorman)



World TeamTennis Stories from July 16, 2018


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