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WTT Washington Kastles

Washington Kastles Season Starts Tonight in NYC

July 5, 2010 - World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


It was a spectacular Wimbledon for members of the Washington Kastles, as Serena Williams took home her 4th singles title from the All-England Club while Leander Paes joined with Cara Black (ZIM) to win his second Grand Slam mixed doubles title of the year.

Rennae Stubbs was also in good form, reaching the semifinals in mixed doubles with Marcelo Melo (BRA) and the quarterfinals in women's doubles with Lisa Raymond (USA).

Serena bolstered her reputation as one of the fiercest competitors in tennis history, trouncing 21-seed Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in Saturday's singles final. It marked her 13th Grand Slam singles win, placing her ahead of tennis legend Billie Jean King. Serena will appear with the Kastles in Washington on July 14. Paes and Black won a tough mixed doubles title Sunday, topping Raymond and Wesley Moody (RSA) 6-4, 7-6. For Paes, it was the 12th Grand Slam doubles title in his long career. He has now appeared in the finals in doubles or mixed doubles in six straight Grand Slam tournaments, proving that he remains one of the best doubles players in the world.

For Venus Williams, it was a somewhat disappointing Wimbledon, but only when compared to her usual excellent results there. The five-time Wimbledon champion lost surprisingly in the quarterfinals in singles 6-2, 6-3 to Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL). It was the first time since 2006 that she failed to reach at least the final. Venus and Serena together also made an uncharacteristically early exit in women's doubles, falling in the quarterfinals to Zvonareva and Elena Vesnina (RUS). The Williams sisters are the top-ranked doubles team in the world and won the previous four Grand Slams. Venus will play at Kastles Stadium on July 7. Stubbs fell short of her ultimate goal of winning her first Grand Slam title since 2004. But she has now reached the quarterfinals in women's doubles in four of the last five majors, solidifying her place as one of the best doubles players on tour.

No team in World TeamTennis history has featured as many Grand Slam titles-66-as the Kastles, so don't miss the action this month!

Kastles Quest for Repeat Starts Tonight in NYC

The Washington Kastles begin their campaign for a second straight World TeamTennis Championship tonight as they take on their arch rival New York Sportimes at Sportime Stadium in New York City. Kastles fans will remember last season's nail biting Conference Championship in DC last season when the Kastles earned their way into the League Championship match and also the earlier infamous and contentious encounter when John McEnroe came to town in the "Rumble In The Capital". Emotions are high when these teams play, so it should be an exciting season opener.

The Kastles' Leander Paes will appear just a day after winning the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon. He'll play doubles with the Kastles' top draft pick, Bobby Reynolds, and will go up against strong Americans Robert Kendrick and Jesse Witten, who made a memorable run to the third round of the US Open last year.

The hard-hitting Angela Haynes will battle the Sportimes' Ashley Harkleroad, a former Wimbledon junior doubles champion. Haynes had the third-best singles record last year as a member of the Sacramento Capitals.

Paes will play mixed doubles with Rennae Stubbs, and the two look to continue the Kastles' league leading results in that event. Last year, the Kastles held a 66-36 record in mixed doubles sets, the tops in the league, with Paes the best among individual players.

The Kastles hope to avoid the slow start of last season, which saw the team begin 0-4 before rebounding to make a remarkable run to the title.

You can follow the score of the match on Live Scoring from your PC or most mobile devices. The directions appear below.

Kastles 2010 Home Opener Tomorrow Night; July 7 Match Featuring Venus Williams Almost Sold Out!

The Kastles will host their home opener on Tuesday when they take on the Philadelphia Freedoms at Kastles Stadium. Then on Wednesday, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams makes her Kastles debut in a nationally televised match against the New York Buzz, featuring former world number one Martina Hingis.

Less than 50 tickets to Wednesday's match remain so call now to avoid missing out!

In appreciation of the support of the Kastles great fans, the first 1,000 spectators Tuesday will get a free championship t-shirt. The team will also distribute "Energy Sticks" courtesy of Pepco, to help give the Kastles a loud home court advantage.

Also on Tuesday, the Kastles will celebrate their 2009 titles with a special ceremony on court, and are inviting winners of local leagues and tournaments to be honored during set breaks.

All fans are invited Tuesday to a special after party at George, the popular event venue in Georgetown, where they can meet and mingle with Kastles players and the 2010 cheerleaders.

On Wednesday, the celebration of the 2009 league title continues with all fans receiving a championship t-shirt, courtesy of Geico. The match will be televised nationally on the Tennis Channel and locally on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic. Don't miss Venus take on Hingis in the most anticipated matchup of the WTT season!

Tickets for both matches are going fast, and Wednesday's match will be a sellout.

For individual tickets, contact Ticketmaster. For group or season tickets, or to inquire about the limited number of available VIP Club Seats or Premier Courtside Boxes, call 202-4-TENNIS.

Serena & Venus on Cover of Washington Life

Anyone who picks up the latest issue of luxury lifestyle magazine Washington Life will see the Washington Kastles marquee stars, Venus and Serena Williams glamorously dressed on the cover of the magazine, behind a headline reading "Red Hot Kastles."

Washington Life has long been the most followed source of who and what is hot and "in" in the Nations Capital. The previous cover featured an exclusive shot of President Bill Clinton and rock star Bono. It is quite an honor for the sisters and the team to grace the cover for the summer issue which will be seen all over town through September.

The inside pages of the issue feature a question and answer session with Venus Williams, in which she discusses the interviews with successful people she conducted for her book, "Come To Win" that will be released this week. The book offers advice on how sports can help people achieve success in whatever field they pursue in life. Dan Hellie of Washington, D.C. news station NBC 4 asked Venus about life after turning 30, and the experience of playing her younger sister Serena in many Grand Slam tournaments.

Venus also talked about the excitement of joining the Kastles this season. She will appear with the team on July 7 as they pursue back-to-back World TeamTennis Championships.

"World TeamTennis is a great experience and a lot of fun," she said. "It has been a good opportunity for me to get to know some of the male and female players on tour that I might not have gotten to know."

The interview with Venus appears alongside photos of her during a clinic at Kastles Stadium last year, as well as pictures of Kastles head coach Murphy Jensen with players Rennae Stubbs and Leander Paes. The page also includes a photo of Serena Williams with team owner Mark Ein.

Be sure to pick up the summer issue of

Washington Life at newsstands all over the Washington area, or read a digital issue at washingtonlife.com.

The Kastles' July 7 match with Venus Williams and the July 14 match with Serena Williams will sell out, so buy your tickets now. Individual tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster. For group and season tickets or to inquire about the limited number of VIP Club tables and Premier Courtside boxes, call 202-4-TENNIS.

Follow All Kastles Home and Away Matches on Live Scoring Courtesy of Kevin Koski

Fans of the Washington Kastles can now follow all the great tennis action this year live from their PCs and their mobile phones.

In time for the 2010 season, the Kastles have worked with World TeamTennis to allow for the viewing of real-time scoring on many popular mobile platforms in addition to the WTT.com 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.

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

Now you can root for Serena, Venus, Leander, Rennae and the rest of the Kastles squad from wherever you are or wherever the Kastles are playing, while checking up on league rivals as well!

To access live scoring, phones must run Java 1.1 or newer. The Kastles and WTT expect that most new phones purchased in the the last year will run the application.



World TeamTennis Stories from July 5, 2010


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