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WTT Washington Kastles

Potential Friday Night Conference Final Tickets on Sale Now

July 22, 2010 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


With last night's win, the Washington Kastles are one step closer to hosting the Eastern Conference Final, and tickets are on sale now for the potential match on Friday!

The Kastles are currently in a dead-heat with the New York Sportimes for the top record in the Eastern Conference, and could potentially host the Eastern Conference Final right here in Washington this Friday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

To guarantee a home playoff match, the Kastles must beat the Boston Lobsters tonight and hope the Sportimes lose to the Newport Beach Breakers. While the home match is not yet guaranteed, fans can secure the best seats today for what would no doubt be the most exciting match of the season, as the Kastles would play to advance to the WTT finals and a chance to repeat as WTT Champions!

Ticket prices for this potential match are as follows:

All Chairback and Grandstand Seating: $20 per seat

Premium Courtside and Kastles Boxes: $100 per box of 4 seats

VIP Dream and VIP Club Dinner Tables: $250 per table of 4 seats

If the Kastles do not host the Eastern Conference Finals, all tickets purchased for the match will be fully refunded, including any service charges.

Our season dinner table, box and seat holders will have their first right to retain their exact seats from the regular season but we will keep a waiting list of fans who would like to purchase any available boxes or dinner tables on a first come, first serve basis. Call 202-4-TENNIS to reserve your seats now.

Chairback and Grandstand seats will be sold through Ticketmaster online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 202-397-7328. Order now to get the best seats in the house!

In addition to seeing the Eastern Conference Finals, there will be food and drink specials, including $2 beers all night long!

Should the Kastles host the Eastern Conference Finals the match would, of course, be at Kastles Stadium, our intimate and unique home at 11th and H Streets in CityCenterDC, where countless fans have enjoyed the dramatic moments of the 2010 season and formed memories to last a lifetime.

If the Eastern Conference Final end up here in Washington, this will absolutely be the last opportunity to see the Kastles in action this season. Don't miss out on the hottest ticket of the summer, and secure your seats today!

In response to numerous fan inquiries, the Kastles have reserved a large block of tickets that we will make available for free to any Kastles fans that want to come the Eastern Conference Final if it is held in NYC on Friday night. To reserve yours or ask any questions, please call 202-4-TENNIS or email us at rsvp@washingtonkastles.com. Even if the Conference title match ends up on the road, we know that there will be lot of loud Kastles faithful there to cheer on and inspire the team to the WTT Title match.

Kastles Rally to Top Aces 19-17 and Move Closer to Playoff Berth

The Washington Kastles boosted their chances at a postseason berth and a possible home playoff match Friday, after rallying last night to beat the St. Louis Aces, 19-17 before a large, raucous crowd.

Despite losing two tiebreaks and the majority of early key 3-all points, the Kastles came back from a 15-9 deficit in the final two sets to win the match and move into a tie with the New York Sportimes atop the Eastern Conference.

The Kastles clinch a playoff berth with a road win over the Boston Lobsters Thursday night and, if coupled with a Sportimes loss to the Newport Beach Breakers, the Eastern Conference title match would be held in Washington on Friday night. A loss to the Lobsters tonight, however could eliminate the team from postseason play under most scenarios.

Courtesy of Max Cook Bobby Reynolds started things off for the Kastles last night against Andre Pavel, a Romanian once ranked as high as 13th in the world. And he got the crowd into the match right away, winning the first point after tracking down a tough drop shot and angling a sharp crosscourt winner. Reynolds went on to hold, but Pavel gained a 2-1 lead in the set when Reynolds lost a tough 3-all point in his next service game after saving two break points.

It appeared as if that was all Pavel would need to take the set, gaining a 4-3 lead and then going up 2-0 behind his own serve. But Reynolds rallied and Pavel double faulted to set up a break point at 3-2. Reynolds then pushed the set into a tiebreak when he hit a blistering return of serve at Pavel's feet.

With the set tied 4-4, Reynolds took an early 2-0 lead in the tiebreak winning both points on his serve and then grabbed a minibreak with a strong service return to go up 3-1. Reynolds held 3 set points at 4-2 but the veteran Pavel won two points to set up a decisive 4-4 winner-take-all point. Pavel took the tiebreaker and the set 5-4 when Reynolds hit a forehand just long.

In women's singles, Angie Haynes took the court against Liga Dekmeijere and immediately jumped to 3-0 lead on Dekmeijere's serve. Dekmeijere responded by winning three straight points to set up an important 3-all point. Haynes lost the point and the first game with a ball into the net, and the Aces jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Serving down 1-2, Haynes found herself in another 3-all point, but again lost as she pushed a hard-hit backhand just long. Dekmeijere then took a 4-1 lead after winning yet another 3-all point, and took 2-0 point lead in the next game to move within two points of taking the set. But with the crowd at Kastles Stadium urging her on, the resilient Haynes won the next four points to hold serve.

Needing a break of serve to stay in the set, Haynes found herself down 0-2 but rallied yet again, setting up another 3-all point with a massive forehand winner. This time, Haynes converted the game point to take the game and bring the set back on serve. She then held serve to tie the set at 4-4, forcing another tiebreaker.

But it was Dekmeijere who then took control, hitting aggressively and dominating the tiebreak 5-1 and the set by a 5-4 count. Though she lost the set, Haynes' rally which accounted for three extra games would ultimately prove pivotal for the Kastles, as every game counts in World TeamTennis.

Courtesy of Max Cook With the Aces leading 10-8, Reynolds and Leander Paes took on Pavel and Tripp Phillips in a match-up that, based on league rankings, heavily favored the Kastles team. The two sides held serve in the first two games, but the Aces grabbed an edge in the third by breaking Paes to take a 2-1 lead and seemed to gain a lot of momentum. Two games later, the Aces broke the Kastles again, taking a 4-1 lead after Pavel hit a down-the-line return winner of a Reynolds serve on a 3-all point. Pavel then served out the set to extend the Aces' lead in the match to 15-9.

It fell to Haynes and Rennae Stubbs to get the Kastles back in the match facing a six game deficit with just two events remaining. Against the popular Anna Kournikova who partnered with Nicole Melichar, the Kastles' duo took a quick 2-0 lead after Kournikova double faulted, then went up 3-1 by converting a 3-all point following a long rally at the net. Then with Melichar serving, Stubbs came through on another 3-all point with an overhead winner which brought the fans in the stadium to their feet. Haynes served out the set, giving the Kastles a 5-1 win and cutting the overall score to 16-14 in favor of the Aces heading into the final event.

Courtesy of Max Cook Still down by two, the Kastles needed to rally in the match's final set of mixed doubles in order to keep their hopes of hosting a home playoff match alive. Washington's Paes and Victoria Azarenka went up against Kournikova and Pavel for the Aces. The Kastles' pair took an early lead, breaking Pavel with a volley winner to go up 2-0 and tie the match at 16. But the Aces broke back in the next game against Azarenka's serve, rallying from a 3-0 deficit to win the game on a powerful service return by Kournikova. The Kastles immediately broke back, rallying against Kournikova's serve to set up a 3-all point with a great down-the-line backhand winner by Azarenka. Kournikova then double faulted to lose the crucial game and even the match again at 17-17.

With Paes serving the next game, the Kastles took a quick 2-0 lead but in this see-saw affair gave it right back. Kournikova hit a sensational slice return winner to give the Aces a 3-2 lead in the game. Azarenka responded the very next point by putting away an overhead smash that tipped the net cord, setting up perhaps the most important point of the Kastles' season. At 3-all, Paes and Kournikova exchanged several sharp half-volleys before Paes finally put one away to make the score 4-1 in the set, and give the Kastles an 18-17 overall lead. The crowd went crazy as they sensed an important comeback victory was near.

With the entire stadium on their feet chanting and cheering for most of the last game of the last regular season match of the summer, the Kastles duo fed off the fans' energy and finished off the Aces by winning four of the next five points to break Pavel's serve and claim the set 5-1 and a key 19-17 match victory.

It was a memorable end to another summer of enduring memories at Kastles Stadium as fans lingered in the stands long after the last point was played to savor another great season of Kastles tennis.

The Kastles complete the regular season tonight with a road match against the streaking Boston Lobsters. A win would put the Kastles in the WTT playoffs against the New York Sportimes, and, if New York loses in Newport Beach, the team could host the Eastern Conference final on Friday night.

Playoff Scenarios: Regular Season Ends Tonight; Conference Finals Tomorrow!

The Washington Kastles' win last night moves them closer to a playoff berth and boosts the possibility that they will host the Eastern Conference final against the New York Sportimes on Friday.

If the Kastles beat the Boston Lobsters tonight, they will be guaranteed a berth into the playoffs. A win coupled with a Sportimes loss to the Newport Beach Breakers would give the Kastles the top seed, setting up a home playoff match in Washington. It would be the fourth time the Kastles and Sportimes have faced off this year and would be a rematch of last years Eastern Conference Final.

With a loss tonight and New York win, the Kastles would finish in third place in the Eastern Conference behind the Sportimes and Lobsters and would be eliminated from the playoffs. If both Washington and New York lose, there are some scenarios, shown below, in which Washington could advance based on games won against common opponents but the chances are remote

The winner of the Eastern Conference Championship would earn a berth to the WTT Championship Final Sunday in Kansas City.

FULL BREAKDOWN OF EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF SCENARIOS:

If New York defeats Newport Beach and:

either

(1) Boston defeats Washington then New York hosts Boston in the Conference Final.

or

(2) Washington defeats Boston then New York hosts Washington in the Conference Final.

If Newport Beach defeats New York and:

either

(1) Washington defeats Boston then Washington hosts New York in the Conference Final.

or

(2) Boston defeats Washington and:

Washington wins at least 22 games then Washington hosts Boston in the Conference Final. Washington wins 21 games and Boston wins less than 25 games then New York hosts Washington in the Conference Final. Washington wins 21 games or less and Boston wins 25 games then Boston hosts New York in the Conference Final. Washington wins less than 21 games and Boston wins less than 25 games then New York hosts Boston in the Conference Final.

Follow the Kastles During Tonight's Crucial Match in Boston!

The Kastles will be on the road tonight to play the Lobsters in Boston, but that doesn't mean fans can't follow the action. Be sure to check out World TeamTennis live scoring, available on PCs and many mobile devices.

To access the live scores, go to wtt.ids-sports.com or you can click on the Live Scoring tab on www.wtt.com or www.washingtonkastles.com.

The Kastles have worked with World TeamTennis to allow for the viewing of real-time scoring on most popular mobile platforms in addition to the WTT.com Live Scoring Web site.

Fans with iPhones, the Motorola Droid and newer Blackberries will have access to up-to-the-minute scores, meaning they won't miss a single point. Phones must run Java 1.1 or newer. The Kastles and WTT expect that most new phones purchased in the last year will run the application.

Keep track of the match in Boston and the Kastles' chance to host the Eastern Conference Finals via live scoring. The Kastles match begins at 7pm from Boston, and the Sportimes match against Newport Beach will begin at 10:15pm eastern time.

We will also provide updates on our Facebook fan page, Twitter and our website.

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World TeamTennis Stories from July 22, 2010


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