WTT Washington Kastles

Leander, Martina & Anastasia in Wimbledon Quarterfinals

Published on July 3, 2014 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


The Washington Kastles' season opener is on the road Monday, but three members of our 2014 team are in no hurry to be in Boston.

Leander Paes, Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova have advanced to the Wimbledon doubles quarterfinals, which will air live today on ESPN3.com. With Rodionova and Hingis in mixed, Paes in men's and Rodionova in women's, the Kastles could sweep all three Wimbledon doubles titles.

Rodionova is through to two quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam event for only the second time in her 17-year pro career (2011 Australian Open).

She led a perfect effort from the Kastles on Wednesday, when Washington players went 4-0 in third-round matches at the All England Club.

Rodionova and Alla Kudryavtseva, the No. 11 seeds, got things started by defeating No. 7 seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 7-5, 6-4.

Entering Wimbledon, Rodionova and Kudryavtseva suffered first-round losses at the Australian Open and French Open and were on a five-match losing streak overall.

But they haven't lost a set yet this fortnight, quickly regaining the form that saw them win titles in Brisbane and Dubai earlier this season.

Kudryavtseva and Kops-Jones both substituted for the Kastles during the 2013 season, and it's clear who has the edge when they go head-to-head. Rodionova and Kudryavtseva are now 3-0 against Kops-Jones and Spears on the WTA Tour.

In mixed doubles, Rodionova and first-time partner Mikhail Elgin picked up their third Wimbledon win with an upset of No. 7 seeds Andrea Hlavackova and Rohan Bopanna 3-6, 7-5, 6-3.

Rodionova is joined in the mixed doubles quarterfinals by her Kastles teammate Hingis, who paired with Bruno Soares to beat Belinda Bencic and Martin Klizan 6-3, 5-7, 9-7.

It was the first-ever meeting between Switzerland's superstar Hingis and rising star Bencic, a 17-year-old who is constantly compared to the two-time WTT Female MVP... with good reason. Bencic frequently serves as Hingis' hitting partner and has been coached by Hingis' mom Melanie Molitor.

When her run with Soares is through, Hingis' next mixed doubles partner will be Paes. The pair won all eight sets they played last season, anchoring the Kastles to the 2013 WTT title.

For now, however, Paes is inching closer to his first berth in the Wimbledon men's doubles final since 1999. The Kastles captain won a battle of WTT MVPs when he and Radek Stepanek knocked out No. 11 seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-5 on Wednesday.

The Springfield Lasers' Rojer is the reigning WTT Male MVP, while Paes won the award in 2009 and 2011. When the two have played on the ATP World Tour, Paes owns a 7-1 head-to-head record against Rojer.

In their last WTT meeting, Paes teamed with Bobby Reynolds to beat Rojer and Rik de Voest 5-2 as part of Washington's 25-12 rout of Springfield in the 2013 WTT Finals.

Be sure to visit ESPN3.com early and often today for live coverage of the Kastles at Wimbledon.

Major tests await the Washington players as Paes and Stepanek meet 2008 and 2009 Wimbledon champions Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic (1st match at 8 am on Court 1). Rodionova and Kudryavtseva follow against No. 14 seeds Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos (2nd match after 6:30 am on Court 3)

Four of the eight players involved in those matches will return later this afternoon for mixed doubles quarterfinals.

Nestor and Mladenovic, the 2013 Wimbledon mixed doubles champions, will put their title on the line against Hingis and Soares (Not before 12 pm on Court TBD). Meanwhile, Rodionova and Elgin will challenge Zimonjic and Samantha Stosur (5th match after 6:30 am on Court 12).

Remember: Every time a Kastles player wins at Wimbledon, we are giving away a '47 Brand Kastles hat to a Twitter follower who retweets the result.

We still haven't picked our four winners from Wednesday's matches, so log on to Twitter now and get to retweeting: Anastasia1, Anastasia2, Martina, Leander.

2014 Kastles Season Offers More Bang for Your Buck

$8 Grandstand Seats, Giveaways, Racquets, Autographs & MORE!

Red (July 9) and grey (July 14) Kastles T-shirts are among our giveaways this season.

The Washington Kastles are the hottest ticket of the summer, and that's never been truer than in 2014.

With Grand Slam champions, great giveaways and Grandstand seats starting at only $8, now is the time to secure your seats for the Kastles' title defense July 9-22.

The Baseline Experience, Premier Courtside Boxes and Celebrity Cruises VIP Dream Seats highlight the premium ticket options available to Kastles fans. But even Grandstand tickets are better than they've ever been at Washington's state-of-the-art new venue: Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center.

Compared to past seasons at CityCenterDC and The Wharf, Grandstand seats at the Smith Center offer better views and much more comfort to ticketholders.

Bye, bye bleachers; say hello to chairs and arm rests for every single fan in the Grandstands! In addition, Grandstand sections this season are not only located along the sidelines, but also behind both of the baselines, providing fans with even more affordable options to choose from.

Grandstand tickets are available for $8 to five of the Kastles' seven home matches this season. They cost $12 for our July 22 match featuring Sloane Stephens and $20 for our July 16 match featuring Venus Williams . That's the lowest ticket price in Kastles history for a match with either Venus or Serena Williams.

We've also got many exciting giveaways planned for 2014 that will bring even more bang to your buck.

July 9: Red Championship Shirt, courtesy of GEICO (ALL Fans)

July 14: Grey Retro Kastles Shirt, courtesy of TTR Sotheby's (1st 1,000 Fans)

July 21: Celebrity Cruises Kastles Hat (1st 1,000 Fans)

If you're an adult, enjoy $2 beers all night at our matches on July 14 and July 21. If you're a kid, we've got even better news!

The Mark David Ein Foundation is once again sponsoring a racquet giveaway program at all Kastles home matches to encourage the growth of our great sport. All kids 12-and-under will receive a complimentary junior racquet.

Then, after every match, all children 16-and-under are invited onto the court to get autographs from each of the home and visiting players. It's an amazing opportunity for kids to meet Martina Hingis, Leander Paes and other amazing athletes.

All it takes is eight bucks for a Kastles-loving kid to get a ticket, T-shirt, racquet, autographs and three hours of the most entertaining tennis action that money can buy.

Refuse to Lose your opportunity to join us for what promises to be the most fan-friendly Kastles season ever. Get your tickets now!

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World TeamTennis Stories from July 3, 2014


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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