WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Seek History Today, WTT Title Today

Published on July 24, 2011 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


The Washington Kastles could make history this afternoon by winning their second World TeamTennis title in three seasons. A victory would make Washington the first team in the 36-year history of the league to finish a regular season and postseason undefeated.

It won't be easy.

The Kastles' competition for the King Trophy is the St. Louis Aces, who are led by 2011 WTT Female MVP Liezel Huber and Male Rookie of the Year Jean-Julien Rojer.

Washington counters with this season's other three WTT award winners: Leander Paes (Male MVP), Arina Rodionova (Female Rookie of the Year) and Murphy Jensen (Coach of the Year).

In the only meeting between the teams during the regular season, Bobby Reynolds of Washington rallied his team at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf on July 15th. With the Kastles trailing by three entering the final set, Reynolds defeated Roman Borvanov 5-2 in the event and 7-5 in a Supertiebreaker to clinch a 21-20 Washington victory.

The Aces were two points from giving the Kastles their first and only loss of the season that night. They've gotten better since then.

St. Louis' two women's singles players during the regular season -- Maria Sanchez and Varvara Lepchenko -- did not make the trip to Charleston. Sanchez is playing qualifying this weekend at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, while Lepchenko is in the main draw of the Citi Open in College Park, which begins on Monday.

That left the Aces with a void on their roster, which they controversially filled with Wimbledon singles quarterfinalist and world No. 42 Tamira Paszek of Austria.

Paszek, ironically, is also playing in the main draw of the Citi Open in College Park as the tournament's No. 3 seed.

The Kastles got to the WTT Finals by beating Boston 23-15 to win the Eastern Conference Champion on Friday. The Aces lost three of five sets to Sacramento on Saturday, but edged the Capitals in the overall score 20-19 to win the Western Conference Championship.

As coach of the No. 1 overall seed, Jensen will decide the all-important order of play for tonight's match. Given the choice, he has stuck to the same order in four straight matches: Mixed Doubles, Women's Doubles, Men's Doubles, Women's Singles, Men's Singles.

If Jensen goes that route this afternoon, Paszek would meet Rodionova during the all-important fourth event, which provides momentum going into the deciding set.

A large contingent of Kastles fans is expected to provide Washington with home-court advantage at the Family Circle Tennis Center this afternoon.

If you can't make it to the match live, please tune in to live HD television coverage beginning at 5 pm on Comcast SportsNet, Tennis Channel and via online streaming at WashingtonKastles.com

PROJECTED MATCHUPS

Men's Singles: Bobby Reynolds (WAS) vs. Roman Borvanov (STL)

Women's Singles: Arina Rodionova (WAS) vs. Tamira Paszek (STL)

Men's Doubles: Reynolds/Leander Paes (WAS) vs. Borvanov/Jean-Julien Rojer (STL)

Women's Doubles: Rodionova/Rennae Stubbs (WAS) vs. Paszek/Liezel Huber (STL)

Mixed Doubles: Paes/Stubbs (WAS) vs. Rojer/Huber (STL)

SET BY SET

Bobby Reynolds was the hero when Washington and St. Louis met during the regular season, beating Roman Borvanov in a set and a Supertiebreaker to complete a Kastles' comeback. It was an incredible display by Reynolds, whose depth, accuracy and pace had Borvanov shaking his head time and again. Reynolds will hope for similar form this afternoon, especially if he is called upon to close the match in men's singles yet again.

Tamira Paszek's controversial inclusion in WTT Championship Weekend provides Arina Rodionova of the Kastles with a difficult task. The 20-year-old was successful in her WTT debut Saturday, defeating world No. 90 Vania King 5-1. Rodionova fell 5-4 to world No. 102 Irina Falconi of the Lobsters on Friday. If she can hang tight with Paszek the same way she did against Falconi, Rodionova will help Washington's chances tremendously.

Since losing to Borvanov and Jean-Julien Rojer 5-3 on July 15th, Reynolds and Leander Paes have won five of their last six sets together. They will get their chance to atone for their loss to the Aces this afternoon in a rematch between the Top 2 men's doubles teams in the league. Borvanov played exceptionally well in doubles when the Kastles and Aces last met, but Reynolds and Paes would be wise to test whether he can catch fire twice.

While the Kastles finished the regular season 14-0 as a team, Liezel Huber of the Aces ended with a perfect record in women's doubles: 70 games won in 14 sets. But her current partner Paszek has never been ranked higher than No. 292 in doubles on the WTA Tour. Was it a coincidence that Huber lost her first women's doubles set of the season with Paszek Saturday' The Kastles' team of Rodionova and Rennae Stubbs hopes not.

After dropping their season opener, Stubbs and Paes have won eight straight in mixed doubles, including a 5-4 win over Huber and Rojer on July 15th. That's part of a larger trend on the doubles court for the Kastles, who have won nine straight doubles sets overall as a team. But the Aces boast plenty of doubles talent themselves. Like in men's doubles, today's mixed set will pit the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the league against each other.

KEY FOR THE KASTLES - DON'T PLAY MIND GAMES

The Kastles have proven 15 times this season that they are the best team in World TeamTennis. Through dramatic and delirious finishes, including three Supertiebreakers and five wins by one game, Washington has prevailed even when their opponents have been at their best.

Sure, St. Louis had an ace up its sleeve by bringing Paszek in to play its two most important matches of the season. But matches aren't won or lost based on reputation or ranking.

They are decided on the court, where a player who is competing at the highest level of her career, such as the 184th-ranked Rodionova, can defeat a Top 50 player like Paszek on any given day.

Despite the attention that the Paszek vs. Rodionova set has been getting, the most important player in today's match is likely to be Stubbs.

The Australian has won six straight women's doubles sets and eight straight in mixed. But she and St. Louis' Huber have a long-standing feud that boiled over when the Kastles and Aces met on July 15th.

After being hit by a Huber volley, Stubbs made a string of uncharacteristic errors as she seemed to be aiming for retribution against her rival. Consequently, the Aces defeated the Kastles 5-2 in women's doubles.

That being said, the Kastles cannot lose control of their emotions on this, the biggest day in the history of the franchise. A perfect season and WTT championship are on the line.

Between the lines, there is no denying that the Kastles are the better team. But to win their second title in three seasons, they will need to be the better team between the ears as well.

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World TeamTennis Stories from July 24, 2011


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