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WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Headline Historic 2020 WTT Season at Greenbrier in West Virginia

May 26, 2020 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Washington Kastles phenom Frances Tiafoe
Washington Kastles phenom Frances Tiafoe
(Washington Kastles, Credit: Abby Van Ess)

Your six-time champion Washington Kastles will be among nine teams to headline the 45th season of WTT at the world-famous Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia from July 12 - Aug. 2 with a record $5 million in prize money up for grabs and an added $1 million awarded in Playoff compensation, including a $500,000 bonus to the 2020 champion team!

All matches will be broadcast on CBS, CBS Sports Network, Tennis Channel, ESPN+ & WTT.com!

"All of us at World TeamTennis are extremely grateful to be able to play the 45th World TeamTennis season and present professional tennis to our sports-starved and tennis-starved audiences through our media partners at CBS Sports, ESPN and Tennis Channel," said WTT CEO Carlos Silva.

"The overwhelming feedback from our players is that they want to play WTT and are comfortable in doing so in a safe environment, which is our number one priority. West Virginia has among the nation's fewest cases of COVID-19 and I'm grateful to The Greenbrier, the city of White Sulphur Springs, and Dr. Jill Justice for being so welcoming and allowing World TeamTennis to play on in 2020."

"We're thrilled to welcome World TeamTennis to West Virginia and The Greenbrier," said Dr. Jill Justice, president of The Greenbrier. "America's Resort has a rich history with professional tennis, and we're excited to write another chapter and add to the storied history of World TeamTennis."

The schedule is going to be action-packed! All told, the 2020 WTT season will feature a 63-match regular season over 19 consecutive days, and include at least three matches per day, from July 12-30 at The Greenbrier's 2,500-seat outdoor stadium, with an indoor court to be installed as a backup option. The top four teams from the regular season standings will advance to the playoffs on Aug. 1 and compete for a spot in the WTT Final on Aug. 2.

CBS Sports Network will broadcast 13 regular season matches and the playoffs on Aug. 1. CBS will air the final on Aug. 2, in addition to one regular season match on July 19!

The Kastles will headline a field of nine teams in the hunt for the 2020 championship, including the Philadelphia Freedoms, San Diego Aviators, Vegas Rollers, New York Empire, Orange County Breakers, Orlando Storm, the new expansion team Chicago Smash and two-time defending WTT champion Springfield Lasers.

Coached by American former world #15 Robby Ginepri, the Kastles 2020 lineup will star DC's own Frances Tiafoe, Kastles Hall of Famer and two-time Kastles champion MVP Arina "Hot Rod" Rodionova, WTT veteran and former All-American at Chapel Hill Nick Monroe, and Croatian southpaw world # 60 Bernarda Pera, who will make her WTT debut this summer.

The 2020 season will also include reigning Australian Open champion and world #4 Sofia Kenin (Philadelphia Freedoms), 2017 US Open champ and former French Open finalist Sloane Stephens (Chicago Smash), Bulgarian world #19 Grigor Dimitrov (Orange County Breakers), top Americans Sam Querrey and the Bryan Brothers (Vegas Rollers), Tennys Sandgren (Orlando Storm) and doubles specialists Rajeev Ram (Chicago), Jean-Julien Rojer (Springfield Lasers) and 2019 Male MVP Neal Skupski (New York Empire.)

DC phenom Frances Tiafoe will headline for the Kastles this summer at The Greenbrier. (Abby Van Ess)

Be advised: WTT will follow the direction of local and state government officials in West Virginia, while adhering to all health and safety protocols set forth by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), and take every precaution to ensure the safety of its players, coaches and essential staff in executing the operation of its matches.

WTT will engage with its teams and league and venue personnel in conducting all necessary testing and screening for COVID-19, as well as outfitting all parties with the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to conduct its 2020 season matches while preserving the health and safety of everyone at The Greenbrier over the three-week season.

In accordance with state health guidelines, WTT will allow up to 500 fans (20% capacity) to attend its outdoor matches. Ticket pricing and access points will be announced at a later date.

As a special thank you for all your loyal support over the years, if you would like to attend any of the matches and see your Kastles live, we will make every effort to get you access to these exclusive tickets. After all, the DC region Kastles fans call home is the closest to the Greenbrier of any franchise in the league.

Look out for updates on how you can see your Kastles LIVE this summer and in future seasons & don't miss out on other special offers for Citi Open events exclusively available to Kastles fans!




Images from this story

Washington Kastles phenom Frances Tiafoe
Washington Kastles phenom Frances Tiafoe
(Abby Van Ess)		   

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