WTT Washington Kastles

Serena Serves up 7th Wimbledon Final

July 6, 2012 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


In one of the most remarkable serving performances in women's tennis history, Serena Williams of the Kastles hit 24 aces without a double fault to advance to her seventh Wimbledon final on Thursday. Serena defeated 2010 Kastle Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-6(6), capping her near-perfect performance with an ace up the service tee on match point.

After being pushed to three sets by underdogs in the third and fourth rounds, Serena showed off a sensational serve in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Before beating Azarenka, Serena dethroned defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-3, 7-5, behind 13 aces and no double faults.

She stepped her serve up even further against Azarenka. The fifth-year Kastle, returning to DC July 22nd, made 70 percent of her 71 first serves, averaging more than one ace every three service points.

With her latest victories, Serena improved to 8-1 all-time against the World No. 2 Azarenka and 3-0 lifetime against the World No. 4 Kvitova.

World No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska awaits in Saturday's final, and Serena has enjoyed similar success against her. The first-time Grand Slam finalist has won only four games in each of her two previous meetings with Serena.

Tune in to ESPN or ESPN3.com live at 9 am DC time on Saturday to see Serena play for her fifth Wimbledon singles championship.

If she wins, the Kastles will give away two tickets to our July 12 home opener with VIP access to one lucky fan who retweets the result on Twitter.com/WashKastles. The home opener is close to selling out, so these are hot tickets.

The Kastles could be represented in two more Wimbledon finals, in which case two more pairs of tickets to the July 12 Washington/New York match would be up for grabs to a lucky retweeter. Even if you're not a winner, you can still secure seats to the home opener on Ticketmaster.com, but you need to act fast.

After winning a pair of doubles matches on Wednesday, Serena pulled double duty again on Thursday. Just a couple hours after defeating Azarenka, Serena teamed with sister Venus Williams to defeat No. 10 seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 6-1, 6-1.

The Williams sisters are now two victories from their fifth Wimbledon doubles title. They will meet their Olympic teammates and No. 1 seeds Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond on Court 1 at 8 am DC time today in a match that will air live on ESPN3.com.

Serena wasn't the only woman working overtime at Wimbledon. Azarenka returned to the court in mixed doubles, teaming with countryman Max Mirnyi against her former Washington teammate Leander Paes and Elena Vesnina. The current Kastle Paes emerged victorious 7-6(3), 6-3.

Paes and Vesnina are now 12-2 as a team since forming their partnership at the 2011 US Open. The Indian/Russian duet will meet Paul Hanley and Alla Kudryavtseva in today's quarterfinals. Live streaming of the match, scheduled for third on Court 12 after 6:30 am DC time, will be available on ESPN3.com.

8 Kastles Matches on CSN or Streaming This Season!

Watch Murphy, Leander, Arina and Bobby on CSN or online throughout 2012.

Washington Kastles fans will have unprecedented access to the defending champions during the 2012 World TeamTennis season, beginning with Monday's season opener at 10 pm in Orange County.

In addition to two Kastles' matches broadcasting live on CSN Washington, three Kastles' road matches and three home matches will be streamed live by WTT.com. With eight matches being aired on television or online, more than half of the Kastles' schedule can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home.

Washington's July 12 home opener against the Martina Hingis-led New York Sportimes and the July 22 match featuring Serena Williams will air live on CSN Washington. Home matches on July 15, July 18 and July 20 will be streamed on WTT.com.

The opportunity to watch three of the Kastles' road matches should prove especially exciting for Kastles fans. The Kastles will put their historic 16-match winning streak on the line Monday night at 10 pm on the road against Lindsay Davenport and the Orange County Breakers in a match that will air live on WTT.com.

The Kastles' Eastern Conference Championship rematch with the Boston Lobsters July 13 at 7 pm can also be seen on WTT.com. Then, Venus Williams will lead Washington into New York for a must-see match July 21 at 7:30 pm on WTT.com.

Live scoring will be available on WashingtonKastles.com for all 14 of the Kastles' regular season matches.

2012 WASHINGTON KASTLES SCHEDULE

Date Time Opponent Where How to Watch

Mon. 7/09 10:00 Orange County Away WTT.com

Wed. 7/11 8:05 Springfield Away

Thu. 7/12 7:00 New York Home Tickets, CSN Washington

Fri. 7/13 7:00 Boston Away WTT.com

Sun. 7/15 7:00 Philadelphia Home Tickets, WTT.com

Mon. 7/16 7:00 Boston Home Tickets

Wed. 7/18 7:00 Sacramento Home Tickets, WTT.com

Fri. 7/20 7:00 Orange County Home Tickets, WTT.com

Sat. 7/21 7:30 New York Away WTT.com

Sun. 7/22 7:00 Kansas City Home Tickets, CSN Washington

Tue. 7/24 7:00 Philadelphia Home Tickets

Wed. 7/25 7:00 New York Away

Fri. 7/27 8:35 Kansas City Away

Sat. 7/28 8:05 Springfield Away

Watch Exclusive Interviews with Anastasia, Bobby & Ein

Earlier this year, World TeamTennis caught up with three pivotal members of the Washington Kastles' organization: newcomer Anastasia Rodionova, Kastles' closer Bobby Reynolds and team owner Mark Ein .

With the 2012 Kastles' home opener coming Monday night at Orange County, watch these YouTube clips to find out how excited the Kastles are to be playing for their third WTT title in four years.

Then, click over to Ticketmaster.com, where seats to this season's seven sensational summer nights are going fast. Get yours today!

The Washington Kastles' Newest Member - Anastasia Rodionova

Can the Washington Kastles Repeat their Undefeated Season?

Mark Ein - Washington Kastles Owner

What Can You See in 3 Hours at a WTT Match?

How Does Bobby Reynolds Handle the Pressure of WTT?

New 16-0 Clothing Now Available on KastlesGear.com

Don't come to Kastles Stadium unprepared! Get your brand new perfect season hats and shirts today!

Limited edition Washington Kastles championship clothing has just arrived at KastlesGear.com!

The best team in World TeamTennis brings you the best-looking merchandise from the best brands around, including hats from Legacy; pullovers, jackets and dri-fit shirts from Nike; and T-shirts from American Apparel and Next Level Apparel. Kids items are available for the future champions in your life.

Perfect for summer nights and weekends, the new Kastles' WTT C hampionship items commemorate the historic 'Perfect Season' and are very limited in quantity. They will not be reordered, so gear up before it's too late. Visit KastlesGear.com today.

Enjoy a Unique Kastles Stadium Special Experience

Sports writers got a great view of Bobby Reynolds celebrating a break last July.

Interested in experiencing a Washington Kastles match like never before?

This season, the Kastles are offering once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for fans to get closer to the action. Leave your Chairback or Grandstand seat behind and prepare to be part of the show.

Interview Bobby Reynolds, photograph Leander Paes, high-five Arina Rodionova or play on Kastles Stadium Court with your friends during the 2012 World TeamTennis season!

The following five Washington Kastles Special Experiences are available for booking now:

-- Reporter for a Match

-- Photographer for a Match

-- Kids Tunnel and Team Photo

-- Play Tennis on Kastles Stadium Court

-- Sit in a VIP Courtside Box for a Match

For pricing and more details, please visit WashingtonKastles.com. To book a Special Experience, please contact Kastles' staffer Joshua Rey at 202-654-7048 or Joshua@washingtonkastles.com.



World TeamTennis Stories from July 6, 2012


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