WTT Washington Kastles

Serena to Play for 20th Major Title on Saturday; Top 40 Kastles Moments

Published on June 4, 2015 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


"Where there's a will, there's a Williams," declared NBC's Mary Carillo after witnessing Serena Williams' fourth comeback of the 2015 French Open.

Trailing Timea Bacsinszky 6-4, 3-2 in Thursday's semifinals, Williams swept 10 straight games to secure a spot in the final opposite Lucie Safarova. Williams vs. Safarova airs live on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra Saturday at 9 am.

Following three early-round scares, Serena enjoyed a routine 6-1, 6-3 quarterfinal win over Sara Errani on Wednesday.

Bacsinszky provided a tougher test in the semis, belting backhand winners to break serve for 3-2 and save a break point at 5-4.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Bacsinszky again hitting excellent returns to break Williams and take a 3-2 lead.

But as Anna-Lena Friedsam, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens found out in Paris, Williams refuses to lose easily.

The Kastles star hit seven of her eight aces and 29 of her 37 winners during the last two sets, overpowering Martina Hingis' Swiss Fed Cup teammate 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.

It was the kind of dominating performance that Safarova, a first-time major finalist, is very familiar with. Williams has defeated Safarova in all eight of their WTA matches and twice at the Hopman Cup team tennis event.

They've met once before in a final -- Williams routing Safarova 6-0, 6-1 at the 2012 Family Circle Cup. However, when they last played at the Hopman Cup in January, Williams survived 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(6).

As if their head-to-head isn't daunting enough, Williams boasts a big edge in experience. The top seed is vying for her 20th Grand Slam singles title, not far behind Margaret Smith Court's all-time record (24) and Steffi Graf's Open Era mark (22).

Should she pull off the upset, Safarova could become the first woman to win the French Open singles and doubles titles in the same year since Mary Pierce in 2000.

Safarova and Bethanie Mattek-Sands are playing in the doubles semifinals on Friday after eliminating Hingis and Sania Mirza, the No. 1 seeds, 7-5, 6-2.

Serena has won singles and doubles titles at the same Grand Slam event seven times, but never at the French Open. The 2002 and 2013 singles champion did not play doubles either of those years in Paris, and she wasn't in the 2015 draw either.

If seeing Serena on TV or online isn't enough, she returns for her first Kastles home match in four years on July 21. Tickets start at $35 and are going fast at Ticketmaster.com. Secure your seats to see the World No. 1 today!

Kastles Count Down Top 40 Moments Over 40 Days

Mylan WTT Champions Celebrate League's 40th Season

Check out video highlights of the very first Kastles home match in 2008, featuring Serena Williams.

With 40 days remaining until the 40th season of Mylan World TeamTennis, the Kastles began a Top 40 countdown of the greatest moments in franchise history on June 2.

Fans of the five-time Mylan WTT Champions are invited to take a trip down memory lane on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

From unbelievable comebacks to 34 straight wins, the Kastles are reliving their greatest achievements each day at 10 am leading up to the July 12 season opener.

Follow the Kastles on social media and track the Top 40 with #MylanWTT40 for never-before-seen videos and photos.

Through three days, the Kastles have looked back on three unforgettable events from their inaugural 2008 season.

40 Days until July 12: Kastles beat Freedoms on the road in team's first match.

39 Days until July 12: Serena Williams wins two sets in first Kastles home match.

38 Days until July 12: Robby Ginepri rallies Kastles back from five games down.

You'll see more of Serena later in the countdown, as well as remarkable performances by her 2015 Kastles teammates Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Leander Paes and Anastasia Rodionova. We're also showing some love to classic Kastles players, including Bobby Reynolds, Rennae Stubbs, Scott Oudsema and Olga Puchkova.

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World TeamTennis Stories from June 4, 2015


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