WTT Washington Kastles

Leander in Citi Open Final Sunday at 12 Pm

Published on August 2, 2014 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


The Washington Kastles season may be over, but team captain Leander Paes continues to refuse to lose in D.C.

Paes flew from Springfield to Washington to play in the Citi Open immediately after winning two sets in the Mylan World TeamTennis Finals on July 27.

He'll be happy that he made the trip.

Paes and Sam Groth are through to Sunday's championship match at 12 pm. They will meet Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, who have won four titles on the ATP World Tour this season.

Though he just completed his sixth season with the Kastles, Paes' only previous appearances at the Citi Open came in 2006 and 2007.

Groth, the Indian's 96th different doubles partner, is also unfamiliar to him. Paes is playing doubles for the first time with the Aussie, a former Kansas City Explorer and Philadelphia Freedom who hit a world-record 163 mile-per-hour serve in 2012.

It was Kastles owner Mark Ein who recommended Groth to Paes on the flight to Springfield after learning that the leader of his team was looking to enter the Citi Open.

Ein got to know Groth during the 2013 Mylan WTT season, and the power player has been on the rise ever since. Groth recently reached career-high rankings of No. 41 in doubles and No. 92 in singles, helping him and Paes gain entry into the Citi Open as the final team in the draw.

With Kastles fans filling the Citi Open stands, Paes and Groth defeated Jeremy Chardy and Robert Lindstedt 6-1, 7-6(4) on Wednesday, Juan Sebastian Cabal and David Marrero 7-6(3), 3-6, [12-10] on Friday, and Steve Johnson and Sam Querrey 4-6, 6-3, [10-8] earlier today.

Trailing 9-6 and 10-9 in the match tiebreaker against Cabal and Marrero, Paes and Groth saved four match points to set up their semifinal against Johnson and Querrey.

In their quarterfinal, Johnson and Querrey stunned World No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan in a match tiebreaker. But the Americans were unable to do the same against Paes and Groth in the semis.

Paes has a history of success with new partners. He has won his first ATP tournament with a teammate seven times before, including alongside Australians Wayne Arthurs (1999 Newport) and Paul Hanley (2005 Bangkok).

With a win on Sunday, Paes would secure his 54th ATP doubles title overall and ensure at least one championship for the 18th consecutive season.

Don't miss your chance to see Paes, who would love to turn the Citi Open into the Smith Center with a capacity crowd of Kastles fans wearing their team gear. Paes and Groth will play for the title at 12 pm sharp, so bring your placards and prepare to support the Kastles captain one more time in 2014!

Five for Five: Best of Bobby Reynolds' Kastles Career

Kastles Closer Played in All 78 Washington Matches 2010-2014

Click above for an intimate interview with Bobby Reynolds as he reveals his post-tennis plans.

Bobby Reynolds made a decent living on the professional tennis tour: $1.6 million in prize money, wins at all four Grand Slams, memories from 24 countries and a men's record 31 USTA Pro Circuit titles. But ask him where he played his greatest tennis and he'll quickly point to one place: Kastles Stadium.

"This is, for me, one of the biggest stages," Reynolds told Monumental Network before announcing his retirement on July 24. "To be out here every night with 3,000 fans going crazy, that's why I get up so much for these three weeks. This is my time to shine."

Reynolds came to World TeamTennis in 2010 seeking match practice. He found his calling instead, leading the Kastles to four straight WTT Championships with passionate, powerful play that far exceeded his career-high ATP singles ranking of No. 63.

With a penchant for finishing off opponents in the fifth and final set, Reynolds was named 2010 WTT Male Rookie of the Year, 2012 WTT Male MVP and 2013 WTT Finals MVP. Though he played alongside six World No. 1s, Reynolds was the only Kastle to compete in all 34 matches during Washington's record-setting win streak from 2011 through 2013.

Retirement came naturally for Reynolds, whose wife Josie is expecting their second child.

Having starred for three seasons at Vanderbilt University, Reynolds has long talked about returning to college and finishing his business degree. When he spoke with Monumental Network, the 32-year-old American said that he may go one step further and become a college tennis coach.

After revealing his retirement plans, however, Reynolds had one more task to tend to as a player: the 2014 Mylan WTT Finals.

Closing a career in a championship match is unique. But if anyone could rise to the occasion, it was the man thousands of fans called the Kastles closer. Reynolds defeated lifelong rival Michael Russell 5-4 in singles, then earned a 5-2 men's doubles victory with fifth-year partner Leander Paes .

There isn't enough space in your inbox to describe Reynolds' impact on the Washington franchise. So we'll settle for five unforgettable moments from his five-year Kastles career.

7/12/2011: Kastles 20, Sportimes 19

Reynolds Rallies Kardiac Kastles

During the Kastles' first perfect season, D.C. fans were treated to three thrilling finishes in four nights. Reynolds closed all three matches, which were each decided by one game. The drama began when John McEnroe and the New York Sportimes came to town. McEnroe and Travis Parrott held three match points on Reynolds and Paes with a 6-4 Supertiebreaker lead. The Kastles closer, however, hit three straight strong serves to clinch a wild Washington win.

7/24/2011: Kastles 23, Aces 19

Reynolds Closes 1st Perfect Season

It took three rain delays, eight hours and nine championship points, but when Reynolds hit a service winner at 1:03 am, he and the Kastles clinched the first perfect season in 36 years of WTT. Reynolds met Roman Borvanov in the final set with Washington leading the St. Louis Aces 18-11. An inspired Borvanov cut the Kastles' lead to three by winning a tiebreaker and the first three games of overtime. But Reynolds settled himself to serve out his team's 16-0 season.

7/24/2012: Kastles 21, Freedoms 16

Reynolds Shows How It's Done

Paes, Venus Williams and Anastasia Rodionova missed the final four matches of the 2012 regular season due to the Olympics. That left Reynolds with three new teammates and a 26-match win streak to defend. The new-look Kastles went 4-0 thanks to Reynolds, who won 20 of 26 singles games without the Olympians. He led by example in the home finale against the Philadelphia Freedoms. With the score tied at 16-16, Reynolds closed out Luka Gregorc 5-0.

7/28/2013: Kastles 25, Lasers 12

Reynolds Wins WTT Finals MVP

The men's singles set during the 2013 Mylan WTT Finals was unpredictable. With former World No. 1 Andy Roddick on his roster, Lasers head coach John-Laffnie de Jager played Rik de Voest instead. In ATP matches, de Voest owned a 5-0 record against Reynolds. But with a championship on the line at Kastles Stadium, Reynolds rose to the occasion for a 5-1 victory. After adding a 5-2 win in men's doubles, Reynolds was named the Mylan WTT Finals MVP.

7/24/2014: Kastles 21, Freedoms 16

Reynolds Plays Final Match in D.C.

Kastles fans didn't know it as he flattened forehands against Frank Dancevic, but Reynolds was playing his last match at Kastles Stadium. The Kastles closer couldn't have dreamed up a better singles performance, sweeping the first 10 points with punishing groundstrokes. When Dancevic raised his level, Reynolds employed the perfect tactic, attacking his backhand for a 5-3 win. After serving out the match in doubles, Reynolds fought back tears as he addressed his fans.

Kastles Owner Mark Ein Teams with Former Sportime

Ein, Jesse Witten Fall to British Team at Lexington Challenger

Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein was easy to spot at the Smith Center during the final week of the Mylan World TeamTennis season.

He was there when the Kastles routed the Boston Lobsters on July 21, when Sloane Stephens debuted on July 22, and when Washington captured the Eastern Conference Championship on July 24.

But somehow in between, Ein found the time to play in his fifth event on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Flying down on the morning of July 23 after watching his Kastles defeat the Springfield Lasers, Ein and former New York Sportime Jesse Witten fell 6-2, 6-3 to Daniel Evans and Daniel Smethurst in the first round of the Kentucky Bank Tennis Championships.

The match swung on a few pivotal exchanges as Ein and Witten lost their serves four times on deciding deuce points. That sparked a British team led by Evans, who reached the singles third round of the 2013 US Open.

Ein previously played doubles at four Challengers with 2008 Kastles substitute Kevin Kim. They went 2-4 together, with their last match coming in February 2012 at an event in Salinas, Ecuador.

To learn more about what motivated Ein's involvement in tennis, and what brought him together with the Kastles' old rival Witten, check out this feature article from LexingtonChallenger.com.

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World TeamTennis Stories from August 2, 2014


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