WTT Washington Kastles

Kastles US Open Update

Published on September 5, 2013 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


There will be no shortage of storylines when the 13-year rivalry between Leander Paes and Bob & Mike Bryan is renewed in the US Open semifinals live on ESPN2 and USOpen.org today at 12 pm.

The top-seeded twins are riding a 28-match Grand Slam winning streak, including a 6-3, 6-4 win over Paes and Radek Stepanek in last year's US Open final.

Were the Bryans to win their fifth US Open title on Sunday, they would become the first tennis players to capture all four Grand Slam championships in the same calendar year since 1998, when Washington's Martina Hingis swept the majors in women's doubles.

But the Kastles captain Paes will be keen to preserve his teammate's place in history.

Since falling to the top-ranked Bryans on Arthur Ashe Stadium last September, the World No. 9 Paes has yet to make it back to a major final. Early exits at the Australian Open and French Open were followed by a five-set semifinal loss at Wimbledon.

Paes has battled the Bryans in at least one match each year since 2001. Though the World No. 1s hold a 27-12 head-to-head advantage, the Indian star has done well to level the rivalry in recent seasons.

After losing 11 straight matches to the Bryans over a four-year stretch, Paes turned the tide in the 2009 US Open semifinals.

The fifth-year Kastle is 7-9 versus the Bryans since that match, which he and Lukas Dlouhy won 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(6) en route to the title.

Four years later, Paes has switched partners from the Czech Dlouhy to the Czech Stepanek. But he finds himself in the same round of the same tournament against the same opponents.

The same result would put Paes in the 30th Grand Slam final of his storied career (including mixed doubles). He and Stepanek are 3-2 against the Bryans on hard courts, highlighted by a 7-6(1), 6-2 win in the 2012 Australian Open final.

To reach the US Open semis, Paes and Stepanek got past two of the top teams in the world. They defeated French Open finalists Michael Llodra and Nicolas Mahut 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in the third round before beating Mylan WTT Male MVP Jean-Julien Rojer (Springfield Lasers) and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (Texas Wild) 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-4.

Williams Sisters to Meet World No. 1s Errani and Vinci

Italians Defeated Venus and Serena at 2013 Australian Open

Leander Paes isn't the only Kastle set for a showdown with the No. 1 seeds. Washington's Venus Williams and her sister, Kastles original Serena Williams, will challenge defending champions Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci in the US Open quarterfinals live on Tennis Channel and USOpen.org today at 12:30 pm.

The Americans and Italians have met twice before, with strikingly different results.

Venus and Serena defeated Errani and Vinci 6-1, 6-1 in the Olympic quarterfinals last summer. Less than six months later, Errani and Vinci outlasted the Williams sisters 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

Today, two of tennis' top teams will meet in the Elite Eight of a prestigious tournament once again. If the Olympics and Australia are any indication, Williams/Williams vs. Errani/Vinci is fitting for a final.

After rolling past the Italians in London, the Williams sisters went on to win their third gold medal in doubles. Errani and Vinci's narrow win over the Americans at the Australian Open propelled them to their third Grand Slam title.

The World No. 1s also won the 2012 French Open and US Open, and have reached five of the last seven major finals overall.

But Errani and Vinci still have a long way to go to match the Grand Slam dominance of Venus and Serena Williams.

With their latest three victories in New York City, the Williams sisters are now 110-10 in Grand Slam play, highlighted by a 13-0 mark in finals. Along the way, they captured the US Open title in 1999 and 2009.

Unseeded at this year's tournament, the Williams sisters have already eliminated a pair of seeded teams. They defeated Kastles substitute Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears, the No. 7 seeds, 6-4, 6-4, before beating No. 11 seeds Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Lucie Safarova 6-1, 7-6(3).

Errani and Vinci are playing for their third win of the event over the Kastles. They followed a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Martina Hingis and Daniela Hantuchova with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Anastasia Rodionova and Alla Kudryavtseva .

Kastles Honored by USTA President at 2013 US Open

USTA President David Haggerty recognized the four-time Mylan World TeamTennis champion Washington Kastles during a special ceremony at the US Open on Tuesday.

Haggerty commended the Kastles for capturing their third consecutive King Trophy and setting a major U.S. pro sports record with 34 consecutive victories.

Kastles coach Murphy Jensen, player Anastasia Rodionova and owner Mark Ein joined Mylan WTT Commissioner Ilana Kloss at the presentation.

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