WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles Sweep Breakers, 25-11, in Largest WTT Victory Margin this Season

Published on July 24, 2020 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


Venus Williams with the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams with the Washington Kastles
(Washington Kastles, Credit: World TeamTennis)

In a high-stakes match, with potential playoff implications, the six-time WTT champion Washington Kastles utterly dominated the Orange County Breakers in their first encounter of 2020. The Kastles won all five sets to score the largest margin of victory in WTT this season over the 2017 WTT champions, 25-11.

It was a crucial win for Washington in the playoff race. The Kastles are now tied with the New York Empire (4-4) for 4th-place in the WTT standings, with just six games left of the regular season to go. Billie Jean King's Philadelphia Freedoms (7-1) currently hold the top spot in the standings, followed by the Chicago Smash (6-2), and the Orlando Storm (5-4).

Watch the Kastles take on the 2nd-place Chicago Smash led by Sloane Stevens, Genie Bouchard and Bethanie Mattek-Sands tonight on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. EST!

World #60 Bernard Pera powered the Kastles to an early lead in women's singles. After being broken in the first game by former UCLA star Jennifer Brady, Pera broke back in the very next game, and surged ahead. Holding successive service games, the Kastles star broke Brady two more times to take the opening set, 5-1. Brady had come into the match as one of the hottest players in WTT, coming off two-consecutive, 5-0 singles set victories, so it was a critically important start to the match for Pera and her teammates.

World #57 Tommy Paul continued the momentum in the second set in men's singles. The new Kastle appeared to have all the answers against Breakers superstar and top-American Steve Johnson. Paul broke Johnson in the first game, then held comfortably, pressuring the Breaker to make incredible shots just to win routine points. Then in the seventh game, Paul pushed the Breakers to a deciding point on Johnson's serve, and after an extended rally, scored the break and set, 5-2, for Washington to rack up the overall score, 10-3.

The Kastles didn't let up in doubles!

In the third set, Pera and Marcelo Arevalo bested world top-10 doubles star Gabriela Dabrowski and Austin Krajicek in mixed doubles. After trading breaks to open the set, Pera steadied the Kastles with a hold. From then on, both teams held serve, until the eighth game. Serving to stay in the set, down 3-4, Dabrowski threw in two double-faults to give the Kastles a foothold in the game, a chance they didn't squander. Pera and Arevalo broke Dabrowski on the first opportunity to take the set, 5-3, and hand Washington a commanding, 15-6, lead going into half-time.

In the fourth set, 23-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was called up to partner with Arina Rodionova in women's doubles. The Kastles pair led Washington to victory in their blockbuster match against the Rollers last Sunday, but got off to a slow start against Dabrowski and 2017 WTT MVP Andreja Klepac. The Breakers duo broke Williams in the opening game and held to take an early, 2-0, lead.

But resilient play from Williams and Rodionova in the following games created an opportunity on Dabrowski's serve in the sixth game. The Kastles broke to keep the set in play at 3-3, and holds from both teams forced the set to a 9-point tiebreak, where Williams and Rodionova continued to pick on Dabrowski. The Kastles duo closed out the set, 5-4(1), to widen the gap to an astonishing 20-10 lead heading into the final set.

Follow Venus and all your favorite Kastles stars on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram @washkastles

Arevalo and former All-American Nick Monroe capped the Kastles win with a one-way victory over Krajicek and British doubles world #52 Luke Bambridge in men's doubles. In the third game, Monroe denied two breakpoints to take a 3-0 lead for Washington. Bambridge prevented a bagel set with a hold at 3-1, but a quick hold from Arevalo, and a second break of the Krajicek serve, notched the final set for the Kastles, 5-1, and the biggest margin of victory, so far, in the 2020 WTT season: 25-11.

Up Next, the Kastles take on WTT's newest expansion team the Chicago Smash tonight in their maiden encounter. Currently in 2nd-place in the league standings, the Smash lineup includes 2017 US Open champ and 2018 French Open finalist Sloane Stephens and fan favorite and 2014 Wimbledon finalist Genie Bouchard. A Kastles win would overtake the 3rd-place Storm in the WTT standings.

Watch LIVE on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. EST!

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Images from this story

Tommy Paul of the Washington Kastles
Tommy Paul of the Washington Kastles
(World TeamTennis)		 Venus Williams with the Washington Kastles
Venus Williams with the Washington Kastles
(World TeamTennis)		  



World TeamTennis Stories from July 24, 2020


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