WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Fall to Freedoms 22-15

Published on July 18, 2014 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


The Eastern Conference got a little more interesting on Thursday as the Kastles fell to the Philadelphia Freedoms 22-15 on the road.

Washington had won 31 consecutive matches against conference opponents, but an inspired effort from the Freedoms has them back in the race for the No. 1 seed in the East.

Washington (7-2) leads Philadelphia (5-4) by two matches in the Mylan World TeamTennis standings. Each team has five regular-season matches remaining, including another head-to-head meeting in Philadelphia on July 23.

At stake for the Kastles and Freedoms over the next week is home court advantage in the Eastern Conference Championship match, which will be played on July 24.

After teaming with Martina Hingis in front of a record crowd on Tuesday, Venus Williams represented the Kastles for a second straight night.

But she unable to perform at the same high level after missing her pre-match warm-up while stuck in traffic on the way to The Pavilion.

Venus dropped the first set 5-3 with Leander Paes in mixed doubles, then was outplayed in women's singles by 18-year-old Taylor Townsend, who hit winners at will with her serves, returns and volleys.

Down 0-3, Venus was replaced by Anastasia Rodionova, but the rising star Townsend resumed her strong showing to sweep the set 5-0. Townsend won 20 of the 23 points played in women's singles.

The Freedoms opened up a 15-5 halftime lead after Frank Dancevic defeated birthday boy Bobby Reynolds 5-2 in men's singles. In the second half, the Kastles earned 5-3 victories in women's and men's doubles to cut their deficit to 21-15 and force overtime.

But Dancevic saved three break points in the opening game of overtime, hitting an ace out wide to clinch Philadelphia's first win over Washington in more than four years.

Despite her transportation struggles before the match, Venus started out aggressively, attacking the net alongside Paes in mixed doubles.

Taking an offensive mindset, the Kastles earned the first three break points of the set, reaching 1-3 on Marcelo Melo's serve with the overall score tied at 2-2.

But all three opportunities slipped away as the Brazilian hit two service winners and Paes misfired on a forehand.

The Kastles appeared to take a 3-0 lead on Paes' serve in the following game. But box umpire Susan Burns ruled that an out ball had touched Venus' racquet and made the score 2-1.

The Washington bench protested to no avail, and the Freedoms capitalized to break serve when Melo hit a penetrating return that Paes could not control.

Serving for the set at 4-2, Liezel Huber double-faulted twice to hand the break back to the Kastles.

That left Venus serving at 3-4 to force a tiebreaker. Suddenly, the Freedoms' strategy surfaced as Huber and Melo kept every shot in the entire eighth game away from the legendary volleyer Paes.

Seemingly playing 1 vs. 2, Venus was unable to hold and Philadelphia took the early 5-3 lead.

The final game of mixed doubles appeared to shakes Venus' confidence as she lost her first nine points against Townsend in singles.

By the same token, Townsend played much better than she did in a pair of losses to Hingis earlier this season.

When the teen carved a short angle with a crosscourt backhand winner for 3-0, Kastles coach Murphy Jensen tried to halt her momentum by substituting Rodionova into the set.

But Townsend held for 4-0 with an ace, then completed her shutout with a ferocious forehand return winner.

Inspired by Townsend's performance and his team's big lead, Dancevic made it nine straight games for the Freedoms by jumping out to a 3-0 lead over Reynolds in men's singles. The Canadian held at love in the first game, broke on a 3-all point in the following game, then held at love again by knifing a backhand volley winner.

Reynolds worked his way back into the set by flattening his forehand and approaching the net more often. When Dancevic served for the set at 4-2, the Kastles closer created a small opening by reaching 1-2 in the game.

But Dancevic hit two service winners and an ace on the next three points, giving the Freedoms a 10-game cushion with only two sets remaining.

The Kastles had not lost the first three sets in a match since July 6, 2011, when Venus sparked a 19-18 comeback win on the road against Philadelphia.

She tried to do the same on Thursday when she teamed with Rodionova in the fourth set of women's doubles.

The Washington women secured the first service break of the set, taking a 3-1 lead when Rodionova hit a swinging backhand volley that Townsend could not handle.

But the Freedoms quickly broke back in the next game for 2-3 when Huber hit a short-angled volley for a winner.

After Townsend held for 3-3, Rodionova hit two straight aces out wide past the young American to put Washington back in front 4-3. Then, as she did in mixed, Huber double-faulted twice at a crucial stage, conceding her serve and the set when Rodionova hit a powerful forehand down the line.

Down by eight games, the Kastles' veteran duo of Paes and Reynolds went for broke in the final set. They nearly broke Dancevic's serve from the start, but the Canadian came up with a drop volley winner on a 3-all deciding point to hold for 1-0.

Reynolds countered with a love hold for 1-1, then ran around his backhand to hit a return winner in the next game that gave Washington three break points.

After saving the first, Melo hit a spectacular behind-the-back volley on the second. But Paes was waiting for it and placed his own volley in a tough spot for Dancevic, who missed a lob long.

With Paes serving at 2-1, the Kastles captain saved three break points of his own, including a 3-all deciding point in which Reynolds poached for a put-away volley.

After the teams changed sides at 3-1, all 16 points went to the server. Love holds by Dancevic, Reynolds, Melo and Paes left the Kastles as winners of the set 5-3, but still trailing 21-15 going into overtime.

As they did during the set, Paes and Reynolds held nothing back when Dancevic served to start overtime. After Paes ripped a pair of shots past the Freedoms, the Kastles earned three break points.

But Dancevic came up clutch when his team needed him, swiping a backhand volley winner, serving-and-volleying to draw an error, then hitting an ace past Reynolds to finish the match.

The Kastles had not lost to the Freedoms since July 13, 2010. Washington defeated Philadelphia 25-10 on July 10 and 23-14 on July 13 earlier this season at the Smith Center.

Following road matches against the Springfield Lasers tonight and Boston Lobsters on Saturday, the Kastles host the Lobsters on Monday and Lasers on Tuesday before finishing the regular season back in Philadelphia. With one more win this season or one more loss by Boston, the Kastles will clinch a playoff berth.

Rising American star Shelby Rogers joins the Kastles as a substitute for the team's next two road matches.

The 21-year-old is up to a career-high No. 104 in this week's world singles rankings after reaching the final as a qualifier of the WTA event in Bad Gastein, Austria. Among her six wins, Rogers defeated World No. 14 Sara Errani and World No. 16 Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets.

Stay updated on how Rogers does in her team tennis debut when the Kastles meet the Lasers tonight in a rematch of the 2013 Mylan WTT Finals. Follow live scoring beginning at 8 pm on WashingtonKastles.com.

Don't forget that Hingis returns to Washington's lineup on Monday, and the Swiss will be joined by World No. 22 Sloane Stephens on Tuesday. Great seats starting at $8 are available now at Ticketmaster.com, but as our last home match proved, tickets aren't going to last forever. Get yours now!

Philadelphia Freedoms 22, Washington Kastles 15

Mixed Doubles - Marcelo Melo/Liezel Huber (Freedoms) def. Leander Paes/Venus Williams (Kastles) 5-3

Women's Singles - Taylor Townsend (Freedoms) def. Venus Williams (Kastles) 5-0

Men's Singles - Frank Dancevic (Freedoms) def. Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) 5-2

Women's Doubles - Anastasia Rodionova/Venus Williams (Kastles) def. Liezel Huber/Taylor Townsend (Freedoms) 5-3

Men's Doubles - Leander Paes/Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) def. Frank Dancevic/Marcelo Melo (Freedoms) 5-3

Overtime - Frank Dancevic/Marcelo Melo (Freedoms) 1, Leander Paes/Bobby Reynolds 0

Kastles Playoff Update - July 24 Tickets On Sale Now!

Washington Likely to Host Eastern Conference Championship Match

The 7-2 Washington Kastles have a two-match lead in the Eastern Conference standings with five matches remaining during the regular season.

The Kastles have the inside track to clinching the conference's No. 1 seed. If Washington keeps its lead in the standings, Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center will host the Eastern Conference Championship match at 7 pm on Thursday, July 24.

Seats to the Eastern Conference Championship match are now on sale through Ticketmaster.com for the following affordable prices:

Grandstand: $10

Premium Grandstand: $20

Kastles Loge: $20

Courtside Chairback: $30

Kastles Baseline Club: $50

Kastles Baseline Experience: $75

There are also a limited number of Celebrity Cruises VIP Dinner Tables ($500 for 4 seats) and Premier Courtside Boxes ($300 for 4 seats) available. The only way to purchase tables and boxes is by contacting Kastles ticket representative John Coleman at 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) or via E-mail.

In the event that the Kastles do not host the Eastern Conference Championship match, customers will receive a full refund. There's no reason to wait; secure your seats for the postseason right now!

You won't want to miss history in the making and the thrill of cheering on your Kastles as they play for their fourth straight Eastern Conference title in front of their hometown crowd.

Please note that the 2014 Mylan WTT Finals will be hosted by the Western Conference Champions on Sunday, July 27. Live coverage will begin at 5 pm on ESPN3.com, with ESPN2 beginning its coverage in progress at 6 pm.

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