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WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Face San Diego Today in Race for Playoffs on Tennis Channel at 3pm

July 25, 2020 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Venus Williams (left) and Arina Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams (left) and Arina Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
(Washington Kastles, Credit: World TeamTennis)

In their first encounter of the season, the six-time WTT champion Washington Kastles fought back from three sets down to defeat the 2016 champion San Diego Aviators, 21-19, to start 2020 undefeated and rise to #1 in the league standings. Today, the Aviators get a rematch!

The Kastles are the favorites going into the match. San Diego is currently tied with the two-time defending WTT champion Springfield Lasers for 7th-place in the league standings with a 3-6 winning percentage.

A Kastles win would be huge!

Washington narrowly trails the Orlando Storm (5-4) and New York Empire (5-4) in 4th-place with a 4-5 record. But the Storm plays the 1st-place Freedoms (8-1) in the opening match of the day and the Empire faces the 2nd-place Chicago Smash (7-2) in the closing match, so a victory over San Diego could see the Kastles make a play for 3rd-place by the end of the night.

The Kastles squad, featuring Venus Williams, Tommy Paul, Marcelo Arevalo, Bernarda Pera, Nick Monroe, and Arina Rodionova, is expected to take on CoCo Vandeweghe, Ryan Harrison, Nicole Melichar, Jonny O'Mara, Christina McHale, and Christian Harrison.

Watch LIVE on Tennis Channel at 3 p.m. EST

Kastles Yield to Chicago in Extended Play, 21-15

Venus Williams Triumphs Over Sloane Stephens in Battle of Grand Slam Champions

Venus & Arina Rodionova Trounce League Leading Bouchard & Mattek-Sands, 5-1, in Women's Doubles

The Kastles almost pulled off another one.

But despite a late rally from 23-time Grand Slam champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist Venus Williams, the six-time WTT champion Washington Kastles yielded to WTT's newest expansion team and 2nd-place Chicago Smash last night in their maiden encounter. After dropping the first three sets, the Kastles fought back to force Chicago to extended play, before surrendering, 21-15, in extended play.

The match featured a thrilling Kastles triumph over 2017 US Open champ and 2018 French Open finalist Sloane Stephens in singles and a resounding victory over league leaders Genie Bouchard and former doubles world #1 and nine-time Grand Slam champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands in women's doubles, but an eleventh-hour Kastles effort proved too little, too late for the Kastles, as Chicago scored big in the early stages of the match.

Kastles rising stars Marcelo Arevalo and Nick Monroe have been an intimidating force this season. The pair clinched Washington's first win against the Empire in their season opener, and upset Bob and Mike Bryan to defeat the Vegas Rollers in the highest-rated television match in WTT history. They also sealed the Kastles win over the Orange County Breakers on Thursday to notch the largest margin of victory in WTT this season. But their maiden encounter against the Smash marked the first time the pair opened a match this season, and on this occasion, met a red-hot Rajeev Ram and Brandon Nakashima.

The Chicago pair came out strong, breaking the Kastles twice and holding confidently to notch the opening set, 5-0. Ram sealed the final point with an ace.

The Smash continued to inflict damage in the second set. Nakashima adapted his game effectively in men's singles against Tommy Paul, breaking the new Kastle in the first game, and holding to go up 2-0. Paul held in the next game to score the Kastles' first game of the match, but deft serving from Nakashima, and a second break of Paul's serve in the fifth game, enabled the Smash to serve out the second set, 5-1, and take a sizable, 10-1, lead.

The Kastles made headway in the third set in mixed doubles. After trading holds to open the set, Arevalo and Bernarda Pera broke Ram and Mattek-Sands in the third game to take a 2-1 lead. Then facing breakpoints in the next game, Pera held her nerve to consolidate the break, 3-1. But after prevailing in a series of deciding points, Chicago forced the Kastles to a 9-point tiebreak, where Chicago raised their game. Ram and Mattek-Sands closed out Arevalo and Pera, 5-4(0), to give the Smash a 15-5 lead going into half-time.




Images from this story

Venus Williams in action for the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams in action for the Washington Kastles
(World TeamTennis)		 Venus Williams in action for the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams in action for the Washington Kastles
(World TeamTennis)		 Venus Williams (left) and Arina Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams (left) and Arina Rodionova of the Washington Kastles
(World TeamTennis)

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