WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Make Playoffs With Win Over Lasers; Playoff Match Friday

Published on July 23, 2009 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


In only their second year in the league, the Washington Kastles are headed to the playoffs and a rematch against the New York Sportimes in the Eastern Conference Finals tomorrow night at Kastles Stadium.

As a thank you to all Kastles fans, all tickets to the match are just $25. They are being sold on a first come, first serve basis with box seat and season ticket holders getting first priority until the end of the day Thursday to their existing seats. As an added bonus for a fun Friday night, the Kastles are also offering $2 Pacifico beer and $5 Absolut Vodka drink specials all night.

The Kastles and the Sportimes split the season series with each team winning on the road. The last time the Kastles and Sportimes faced off on July 10 in Washington, the Kastles were defeated 20-19 in a match that is widely considered to be the most exciting and definitely the most contentious of the 2009 WTT season. It should be a raucous rematch of their last affair in which tempers flared, suspensions and fines ensued. The match has now become infamous in the tennis world shown on ESPN, Comcast and all over the Internet.

The Sportimes bring a lot of firepower, including the #1 ranked men's singles player in the WTT, Robert Kendrick, and the #2 ranked women's singles player, Abigail Spears. The Kastles counter with #1 ranked mixed doubles player Leander Paes. The winner of the match will earn a spot in Sunday's Advanta World TeamTennis Championship Finals at Kastles Stadium against the Western Conference Champion. It should be a memorable night that you won't want to miss.

Kastles Secure Playoff Spot With Convincing Win

With their backs against the wall, the Washington Kastles secured their first ever playoff berth with a convincing 21-14 win over the top-seeded Western Conference powerhouse Springfield Lasers Wednesday night at Kastles Stadium in the last match of the regular season.

Given the strength of both teams, the match was expected to be close throughout, but it was the Kastles' night from the beginning. Scott Oudsema and Leander Paes started the match off on a positive note, as they beat Martin Damm and Raven Klaasen 5-2 in the men's doubles set.

From there, new acquisition Nadia Petrova faced off against the Lasers' Vania King, who had the best record in the WTT this season in women's singles. However, Petrova is the #10 ranked women's singles player in the world and she showed why, as she defeated King 5-3. The two traded games to a 3-3 tie until the Kastles home crowd got behind Petrova, lifting her to a break of King. The Russian native held serve in the last game to take the event and give the Kastles a 10-5 overall lead.

Next was men's singles, where Oudsema took on Klaasen. In the biggest match of the season, Oudsema brought his best game, overwhelming his opponent with his powerful serve. The two started out evenly-matched, but as the event wore on, Oudsema's confidence noticeably increased, and he won the event 5-2, giving the Kastles a substantial 15-7 lead at halftime.

After the break, the world's number one women's doubles player, Liezel Huber of the Lasers, got a chance to get her team back into the match, teaming with King to face off against Petrova and Grand Slam winner Reanne Stubbs. Huber proved worthy of her ranking, as the Lasers won the event 5-1 to bring the match to 16-12 after four events.

One set away from a playoff berth and with the best team mixed doubles record in the league, the Kastles' Paes and Petrova, faced off against Huber and Damm. Paes was dominant throughout the set, bringing fans to their feet with his dazzling play at the net. After taking a 4-0 lead, the Kastles went on to win the event 5-2 and the match 21-14 for the Lasers' second loss of the season and, by far, their largest margin of defeat.

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World TeamTennis Stories from July 23, 2009


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