Washington Clinches Playoffs with 2 Road Wins

Published on July 25, 2015 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release

Leander Paes of the Washington Kastles
(Washington Kastles, Credit: Susan Mullane of Camerawork USA)

By defeating the Western Conference-leading Austin Aces 22-14 on Friday, the 7-3 Kastles became the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot. With four regular-season matches remaining, Washington is one win or one Boston loss from securing the best record in the Eastern Conference and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

As thanks for our fans' overwhelming support again this season, we are proud to offer fan-appreciation pricing for the Eastern Conference Championship match (Thursday 7/30 at 7 pm) and the Mylan WTT Finals (Sunday 8/2 at 11:30 am).

Tickets start at only $10 for one playoff match and $15 for both! Courtside seats, boxes and dinner tables are also very attractively priced for those who want to be on top of the action.

Our No. 1 goal is to pack Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center for the biggest home-court advantage that World TeamTennis has ever seen. Whether you treat yourself to courtside seats or bring a group at family-friendly prices, you will be part of making history and create lifelong memories of cheering for your hometown team to a championship.

Kastles Playoff Tickets 1 Match 2 Matches

VIP Dinner Table (4 Seats)* $500 $750

Premier Courtside Box (4 Seats) $250 $400

Baseline Experience $50 $75

Baseline Club $25 $40

Kastles Box Seat $25 $40

Courtside Chairback $25 $40

Premium Grandstand $10 $15

Grandstand $10 $15

* Includes catered dinner July 30 and brunch August 2

To enjoy great savings with our special two-match playoff plan, please call 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) or visit the Smith Center box office.

If you are only planning on attending only one playoff match, please purchase your tickets at Ticketmaster.com for Baseline Experience, Baseline Club, Courtside Chairback, Premium Grandstand and Grandstand seats.

If you are interested in a VIP Dinner Table, Premier Courtside Box or Kastles Box seats, please call 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) for availability.

The Kastles lineup for the rest of the season and the playoffs is incredible, featuring some of the most entertaining players in the world. Coming off a pair of Wimbledon titles, World No. 2 doubles player Martina Hingis leads the Kastles alongside her championship partner Leander Paes. Also representing Washington are World No. 34 singles player Sam Querrey and World No. 23 doubles player Anastasia Rodionova.

The 2015 season has already seen the Kastles welcome their largest crowd ever (4,255 fans on July 21) and allow the fewest games in franchise history (Kastles def. Freedoms 23-6 on July 18). With Washington's four core players intact, the final week of the season is sure to bring more extraordinary tennis and Kastles franchise milestones.

So don't miss history in the making as Washington tries to defend the King Trophy and extend its 10-0 playoff record.

You've got nothing to lose: Should the Kastles not host the Eastern Conference Championship match and/or Mylan WTT Finals, the cost of tickets to those respective matches will be refunded.

Visit Ticketmaster.com or call 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) to purchase your tickets now.

Kastles Clinch Playoff Spot with Two Big Road Wins

Hingis Returns as Washington Eases Past Boston and Austin

It didn't take Martina Hingis long to make a major impact with the Kastles this season. She swept all five of her sets in her first two matches, leading Washington to a 25-14 road win over the Boston Lobsters on Thursday followed by a 22-14 road win over the Western Conference-leading Austin Aces on Friday.

Those two victories allowed the 7-3 Kastles to become the first team to clinch a spot in the Mylan World TeamTennis Playoffs beginning July 30.

The Kastles picked up their 17th straight win over the Lobsters thanks largely to Hingis. The Wimbledon women's and mixed doubles champion took each of those sets 5-2 before beating World No. 76 Irina Falconi 5-3 in singles.

The turning point in Boston actually came in the third set of men's doubles when the Kastles' Sam Querrey and Leander Paes rallied from 2-4 and two set points down to win the set 5-4. What could have been a slim 12-9 halftime lead instead was a comfortable 15-8 advantage for Washington, giving the Kastles the momentum that carried them through the rest of the match.

After sweeping Boston, Washington visited the now 8-2 Austin Aces, who defeated the Kastles 22-17 in D.C. on July 14.

Friday's rematch was a different story as the Kastles jumped out to a 10-4 lead when Hingis won mixed doubles 5-3 with Paes and women's doubles 5-1 with Anastasia Rodionova.

The 34th-ranked Querrey finished the Aces off with a 5-2 win in men's doubles alongside Paes and a 5-3 singles victory over World No. 50 Teymuraz Gabashvili.

Playoff tickets to see the Kastles compete for their sixth Mylan World TeamTennis Championship are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647), and the Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center Box Office.

Thursday: Washington Kastles def. Boston Lobsters 25-14

Mixed Doubles - Leander PaesMartina Hingis (Kastles) def. Scott LipskyArantxa Parra Santonja (Lobsters) 5-2

Women's Doubles - Martina HingisAnastasia Rodionova (Kastles) def. Arantxa Parra SantonjaIrina Falconi (Lobsters) 5-2

Men's Doubles - Leander PaesSam Querrey (Kastles) def. Scott LipskyTim Smyczek (Lobsters) 5-4

Women's Singles - Martina Hingis (Kastles) def. Irina Falconi (Lobsters) 5-3

Men's Singles - Sam Querrey (Kastles) def. Tim Smyczek (Lobsters) 5-3

Friday: Washington Kastles def. Austin Aces 22-14

Mixed Doubles - Martina HingisLeander Paes (Kastles) def. Alla KudryavtsevaTeymuraz Gabashvili (Aces) 5-3

Women's Doubles - Martina HingisAnastasia Rodionova (Kastles) def. Nicole GibbsAlla Kudryavtseva (Aces) 5-1

Women's Singles - Nicole Gibbs (Aces) def. Anastasia Rodionova (Kastles) 5-2

Men's Doubles - Leander PaesSam Querrey (Kastles) def. Teymuraz GabashviliJarmere Jenkins (Aces) 5-2

Men's Singles - Sam Querrey (Kastles) def. Teymuraz Gabashvili (Aces) 5-3

Team Stars Wins 2015 Kastles Charity Classic 46-43

John Breaux Named MVP After Winning Set with Gene Sperling 7-0

A courageous comeback from Team Stripes fell just three points short as MVP John Breaux helped Team Stars regain the Washington Kastles Charity Classic Championship on Wednesday for the first time since the inaugural event in 2012.

The three benefiting charity groups came out on top, receiving the largest donations in Charity Classic history.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), DC Public Education Fund, and Food & Friends each received checks for $10,000, splitting 100% of the ticket sales in addition to extra donations made by Charity Classic sponsors.

Congressmen, media members, Kastles players and even D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen brought out their best shots for a great cause.

From the start, however, it was clear that Team Stars was especially motivated to lift the Kastles Cup for a second time.

In the opening tiebreaker, Representative Bob Dold (R-IL) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA) won the first six points before claiming a 7-2 win over Representative Kevin Yoder (R-KS) and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH).

The Fox News duo of Ed Henry and Bret Baier extended Team Stars' lead to 14-6 by beating ABC News' Jonathan Karl and John-Paul Flaim of The Sports Junkies 7-4. Baier hit two consecutive volley winners to clinch a tiebreaker that saw Karl run over the back wall in an effort to retrieve a shot.

An owner, a coach and two of the greatest tennis players in the world took the court for the third tiebreaker, pitting Leander Paes and Mark Ein of Team Stars against D.C. United's Ben Olsen and Sam Querrey. Nothing separated the two doubles teams after 12 points, bringing about a winner-take-all scenario at 6-6.

The pressure was on Olsen, who missed his first serve and followed his second into net, placing a volley past Ein and into the open court. But as he's done so often for the Kastles, Paes got himself into position quickly, backed up his partner, and surprised Olsen and Querrey with a down-the-line forehand winner.

Now leading 21-12 after three tiebreakers, Team Stars sent out Breaux and former Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling for what appeared to be an evenly matched tiebreaker against 2014 Charity Classic MVP Charlie Dent (R-PA) and Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ).

But the Team Stars pair was on fire, starting with a poach volley winner and a strong return by Sperling. At 2-0, Breaux hit a world-class running cross-court forehand winner that Dent dove unsuccessfully for. Within seconds it was 6-0, and even a ferocious first serve by Flake did not phase Breaux, who returned it with ease to force an error and complete a shutout.

His team trailing 28-12 after four tiebreakers, Team Stripes coach Murphy Jensen took matters into his own hands in the fifth match-up, covering court like he was back in the final of the 1993 French Open. He and Querrey defeated Paes and Anastasia Rodionova 7-3 after a pair of sensational winners -- a drop-volley by Querrey that fooled Rodionova with backspin and a crushing cross-court forehand by Jensen on set point.

After that, the Republican Congressman Dent returned to the court and showed signs of the player who stole the show in 2014, hitting an aggressive overhead at Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. Dent and Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) defeated Illinois' Bustos and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) 7-5, trimming Team Stars' lead to 36-26 going into the seventh and final tiebreaker.

As is tradition at the Charity Classic, Team Stripes coach Jensen and Team Stars coach Paes were allowed unlimited substitutions in the final tiebreaker, which would be awarded to the first team to win 10 points.

Olsen emerged as the hero, hitting an ace, reaching a difficult shot to win a point, and hitting a passing shot winner on the deciding 9-9 point, allowing Team Stripes to extend the match into overtime.

Down 45-36 at the start of overtime, Jensen and Querrey substituted in for Team Stripes and won seven consecutive points to get within two of Team Stars.

All Team Stars needed was to win one point to secure the championship, and to do so, Paes and Rodionova took to the court for an All-Kastles showdown at 45-43. Paes missed his first serve, but Jensen was unable to make a second-serve return, bringing the Kastles Cup back to Team Stars.

Washington Kastles Charity Classic Results

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Team Stars def. Team Stripes 46-43

Bob Dold/Jared Huffman (Stars) def. Joyce Beatty/Kevin Yoder (Stripes) 7-2

Bret Baier/Ed Henry (Stars) def. John-Paul Flaim/Jonathan Karl (Stripes) 7-4

Mark Ein/Leander Paes (Stars) def. Ben Olsen/Sam Querrey (Stripes) 7-6

John Breaux/Gene Sperling (Stars) def. Charlie Dent/Jeff Flake (Stripes) 7-0

Murphy Jensen/Sam Querrey (Stripes) def. Leander Paes/Anastasia Rodionova (Stars) 7-3

Charlie Dent/Bobby Scott (Stripes) def. Cheri Bustos/Jeff Merkley (Stars) 7-5

Coach's Choice (Unlimited Substitutions): Team Stripes def. Team Stars 10-9

Overtime (Unlimited Substitutions): Team Stripes 7, Team Stars 1

Team Stars head coach Leander Paes looked good Wednesday thanks to his MVP John Breaux.

Washington Kastles Fans (Fred Mullane of Camerawork USA)	Leander Paes and Sam Querrey of the Washington Kastles (Susan Mullane of Camerawork USA)	Martina Hingis of the Washington Kastles (Richard Cashin)
Washington Kastles Coach Murphy Jensen (Susan Mullane of Camerawork USA)	Leander Paes of the Washington Kastles (Susan Mullane of Camerawork USA)

World TeamTennis Stories from July 25, 2015

• Washington Clinches Playoffs with 2 Road Wins - Washington Kastles

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