WTT Washington Kastles

Paes & Hingis Refuse to Lose a Set in Australia

January 29, 2015 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


With rapid reflexes, textbook volleys and unteachable instincts, Leander Paes and Martina Hingis own four of the quickest hands in tennis.

Throw in a serving performance like they had in their Australian Open quarterfinal and the Kastles' dream team is a nightmare for opponents.

Paes and Hingis swept 17 straight service points at one stretch on Wednesday to defeat No. 4 seeds Alexander Peya and Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 6-1 (Highlights, Replay).

Thousands of fans remained at Rod Laver Arena after Novak Djokovic's straight-set win over Milos Raonic, welcoming Hingis back to the court where she's won eight Australian Open titles.

"It's amazing to be out here tonight with Leander; he's a great partner to have," Hingis said following the win. "I know it's been a while, but thanks to you all for sticking out here for us. It feels like coming back home."

The No. 7 seeds have not lost a set in their first tournament as a team, and they are 23-2 in sets counting their Kastles matches.

That they needed only 52 minutes to eliminate Peya and Hlavackova came as a surprise. At the 2013 US Open alone, Peya reached the men's doubles final and Hlavackova won the women's and mixed doubles titles.

The Austrian/Czech pair jumped out to a 2-0 advantage against Paes and Hingis before the Kastles started their service run.

Hingis held for 1-2 thanks to three unreturnable serves and a backhand volley winner from Paes. She broke Hlavackova in the next game by winning a backhand-to-backhand exchange with the reigning Olympic silver medalist.

Paes put his team ahead 3-2 behind a pair of drop volleys that barely bounced off the hard court.

Following holds by Peya and Hingis, the Kastles pressured Hlavackova's serve, forcing a deciding point after Hingis hit a crosscourt backhand over a ducking Paes and past a stretching Peya.

On the winner-take-all deuce, Hlavackova double-faulted to hand a 5-3 lead to Hingis and Paes. The Kastles captain clinched the set immediately thereafter with his team's fourth consecutive hold at love.

Even Martina Hingis watched the replay of an over-the-shoulder shot by Leander Paes in this video.

Paes was the most valuable player of the second set, seemingly a shot ahead of the 10th-ranked Peya and 15th-ranked Hlavackova on the points that mattered most.

Each team held to start the set before Paes broke Hlavackova when he poached and powered a forehand volley past Peya at net.

The Indian legend hit the exact same shot to give his team a 3-1 lead, only this time it was Hlavackova helpless as Paes' volley bounced off the court and over her head.

From there, the Kastles won the final 10 points of the match, securing a semifinal spot when Paes flicked a half-volley winner.

Paes and Hingis will face first-time partners Pablo Cuevas and Su-Wei Hsieh tonight at 11 pm on Tennis Channel and ESPN3.com. In the other semifinal, reigning Australian Open champions Daniel Nestor and Kristina Mladenovic meet US Open champions Bruno Soares and Sania Mirza.

Pregame for the semis by watching our fourth mixed doubles highlight video of Paes and Hingis, featuring their best shots from the 2014 Eastern Conference Championship match. Two videos remain in our tribute to the Australian Open semifinalists. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see them first.



World TeamTennis Stories from January 29, 2015


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.

OurSports Central