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WTT Washington Kastles

Venus vs. Serena Tonight in Historic US Open Quarterfinal; Five Kastles Still Competing for Three Ti

September 8, 2015 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


It took only 50 minutes for Venus Williams to steamroll past Anett Kontaveit in the fourth round on Sunday afternoon, easily taking the match 6-2, 6-1. The 35-year-old is defying the odds in her 17th US Open.

Her reward is a quarterfinal match tonight at 7pm on ESPN against younger sister Serena, who also won her fourth round match on Sunday, beating fellow American Madison Keys 6-3, 6-3 with little resistance.

The Williams sisters will take to Arthur Ashe in one of the most anticipated tennis matches in a very long time. The match will determine whether Venus's improbable run continues, or Serena's calendar grand slam dream stays alive, but one thing is for sure, it will be anything but another match.

Another lady Kastle who enjoyed her weekend in Queens was the 'Swiss Miss' Martina Hingis. She and partner Sania Mirza, who first teamed up back in March, have had the right chemistry, especially at the majors this year.

That trend continued when they destroyed Timea Bacsinszky and Chia-Jung Chuang on Saturday in their second round match 6-1, 6-1. As an encore performance, Hingis and Mirza dominated No.13 seeds Barbora Strycova and Michaella Krajicek on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-0 victory.

The pair's quarterfinal opponents will be No. 9 seeds, Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching. This match will be their biggest hurdle, as the Chan sisters stunned them recently in the semifinals of the Western and Southern Open 4-6, 6-0, 6-10.

Paes and Hingis after their 2015 Wimbledon Championship

Hingis is also very much alive in the mixed doubles draw along with her Kastles teammate and 2008 US Open mixed doubles champion Leander Paes.

Their second round match on Saturday was slated to be against Eugenie Bouchard and Nick Kyrgios, which would have been must-see-tv, but Bouchard was forced to withdraw.

The Canadian was still suffering from a head injury that occurred after she fell in the locker room following her mixed doubles win on Friday night.

So with that walkover, No. 4 seeds Hingis and Paes got a free pass to the quarterfinals, where they were set to face the very tough Romanian duo of World #2 Simona Halep and Wimbledon doubles champion Horia Tecau. However, amazingly, due to a leg injury to Halep, she withdrew, and for the second match in a row Hingis and Paes got a walkover.

They will now face Yung-Jan Chan and Rohan Bopanna in the semifinal, which should be a great test for the Kastle teammates, as they haven't played a competitive match since last Wednesday.

In three of the four matches in the mixed doubles draw, there is at least one Kastle player including fellow Kastles Anastasia Rodionova and Sam Querrey, who are tasting success at the year's final major too.

While they are not paired together, their respective teams are on a collision course to face each other in the semifinals if they can get past their quarterfinal opponents.

Rodionova, who is paired with Max Mirnyi, took out No. 7 seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Raven Klaasen 6-4, 6-3 in the second round. Now all that stands in their way of landing a spot in the semifinals is the Czech-Polish team of Andrea Hlavackova and Lukasz Kubot.

Querrey, who is teamed with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, leapfrogged past the challenging Australian team of Daria Gavrilova and John Peers in their second round match 6-1, 7-5. Standing in their way to the semifinals are the No. 6 seeds Yaroslava Shvedova and Juan Sebastian Cabal.

Querrey focused on trying to win men's and mixed doubles championship

Querrey and men's doubles partner Steve Johnson continued their winning ways on Monday, when they took out Donald Young and Michael Russell of the WTT Springfield Lasers 6-2, 6-4. These two have been an absolute powerhouse at the Open not losing a set while taking out the Bryan brothers early, and then beating Querrey's Kastles teammate Paes and his partner Fernando Verdasco too. Both Querrey and Johnson were just named to the US Davis Cup team for their upcoming match against Uzbekistan at the Olympic Tennis School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 18-20, where they are likely to continue their doubles prowess.

Keeping pace with the success of his five other Kastle teammates was Rajeev Ram in men's doubles until Ram and Klaasen ran up against No. 4 seeds Marcin Matkowski and Nenad Nimonjic in the third round, falling 3-6, 6-7(4-7).

For complete Kastle-by-Kastle analysis, please continue reading our extended US Open preview. And for US Open updates on all eight Kastles during the tournament -- featuring player schedules and links to live streaming, live scoring and TV listings -- be sure to visit the Kastle Tracker.

Five Kastles Vying For Title

Proudly yet unsurprisingly, there are five Kastles still fighting for the distinction of 2015 US Open champion.

There's also huge importance behind the number seven. That is how many wins it takes to secure a major. And to win one is special, no less the last major of the calendar year.

Let's look a little closer at who still remains.

Venus is fighting for the women's singles championship, which would be her third title at this major and first one since 2001. However, her "championship match" appears to be disguised as a quarterfinal match, as she takes on Serena at 7pm tonight. Her little sister is likely the toughest remaining opponent in the draw. With a victory this evening, the US Open crown could be well within her grasp.

Hingis is going for two titles in New York, and her chances to leave with both trophies are great. She's looking to match the success she had a few months ago at Wimbledon, where she won both women's doubles and mixed doubles. To win four titles over the span of two consecutive majors would put an indelible stamp on her already Hall-of-Fame career.

Paes, who is partnered with Hingis in the mixed doubles, seeks his second mixed doubles championship at the US Open. It would also be his first one there with Hingis and his first one since winning it back in 2008.

Querrey, like Hingis, is going for the men's doubles and mixed doubles titles. He has found something special in both Mattek-Sands and Johnson respectively. Querrey and Mattek-Sands could play Hingis and Paes, and the only time that could happen would be for the championship.

However, Rodionova and Mirnyi are more of an immediate potential matchup for Querrey and Mattek-Sands. If both teams advance today, they'll face each other in the semifinal. Rodionova may be playing her best tennis at the most important time, which could be dangerous for those in her way. The Australian was a mixed doubles finalist at Wimbledon with current Kastle teammate Ram back in 2003, but is still looking for that elusive mixed doubles title. Maybe it will come with Mirnyi at the US Open?

Don't miss a minute of the action.

Kastles US Open Week Two Players

MARTINA HINGIS

Doubles with Sania Mirza

Mixed Doubles with Leander Paes

World No. 1 women's doubles team, Hingis and Mirza have been rolling through the draw, but the matches will only get tougher. Up next for the Wimbledon champions are No.9 seeds, Chan Yung-Jan and Chan Hao-Ching, a team they recently lost to in the semifinals at the Western and Southern Open a couple weeks ago. They are set to play today around 2pm on ESPN3.com. You can also watch online when she and Paes will face Yung-Jan Chan and Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles semifinal on Wednesday.

LEANDER PAES

Mixed Doubles with Martina Hingis

It was supposed to be one of the most compelling matches at the US Open, Paes and Hingis (the No. 4 seeds) vs. Eugenie Bouchard and Nick Krygios, but it was not to be due to concussion symptoms that Bouchard had suffered on Friday. Then Halep withdrew from leg issues, and they got a walkover in that match too. Paes and Hingis are seeking to add the title of US Open Champions to a 2015 resume that already boasts Australian, Wimbledon and WTT Champions. Standing in their way of keeping that dream alive are Yung-Jan Chan and Rohan Bopanna. That match will be on Wednesday.

VENUS WILLIAMS

The former two-time champion is having a fantastic run in the last major of year, especially since her 2015 season to this point has been rather pedestrian according to her own high standards. So much for being in the toughest section of the draw. After taking Kontaveit to school on Sunday, Venus gets Serena on Tuesday, where the stakes will be high. Venus trails Serena 15-11 in their career head-to-head, but a victory over her younger sister would ruin Serena's chances at a calendar grand slam effort. Don't miss this primetime match. It will be on at 7pm on ESPN.

ANASTASIA RODIONOVA

Mixed Doubles with Max Mirnyi

Rodionova and Mirnyi are quietly running through their section of the mixed doubles draw. Their first victims were Anda Perianu and Andrei Daescu. Then they impressively took out the No. 7 seeds Raquel Kops-Jones and Raven Klaasen in round two. That victory matched Anastasia's previous best mixed doubles result when she reached the quarterfinals three years ago at the Open. Next up is Andrea Hlavackova and Lukasz Kubot. This is scheduled to be the first match at 11am on Louis Armstrong, and will be viewable on ESPN3.com.

SAM QUERREY

Mixed Doubles with Bethany Mattek-Sands

Men's Doubles with Steve Johnson

Querrey's success in doubles at this year's US Open is nothing short of great. He and Mattek-Sands get No. 6 seeds Yaroslava Shvedova and Juan Sebastian Cabal today around 4pm for a chance to get into the semifinals. Catch the action on ESPN3.com. On Monday Querrey and Johnson took care of business in men's doubles with a very matter of fact victory over Young and Russell, earning them a coveted spot in the quarterfinals. Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa stand in their way of getting to the semifinals.

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