WTT Washington Kastles

Washington Opens Season with 24-16 Win in Boston

Published on July 8, 2014 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


After 49 weeks away from the multi-colored Mylan World TeamTennis courts, the Washington Kastles picked up Monday where they left off each of the last three seasons, routing the Boston Lobsters 24-16 on the road.

The Kastles (1-0) have now won 13 consecutive matches and 47 of their last 49 overall. Washington overcame two lengthy rain delays to emerge victorious five minutes after midnight, extending its winning streak over Boston to 11 matches.

The Lobsters (0-2) were no match for the Kastles, whose opening-night lineup featured three of the team's four core players from the 2013 squad that completed a three-peat of WTT titles: Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds and Anastasia Rodionova .

Coming off a semifinal run in men's doubles at Wimbledon, Paes reunited with Reynolds in the first set to defeat Australian Open men's doubles finalist Eric Butorac and Rik de Voest 5-4.

The Kastles' dynamic duo won 10 straight service points to start the set and took the early lead by breaking de Voest in the third game.

While Reynolds impressed with solid serving and returning, Paes wowed the Boston crowd with a sensational drop volley winner on the full stretch.

Butorac kept Boston within striking distance, which paid off when he and de Voest forced a tiebreaker by breaking Paes on a 3-all deciding point.

Only one serve was broken during the tiebreaker, and it was de Voest's, unable to withstand the pressure of a well-struck Reynolds' return. From 3-3, Paes clinched the set for Washington with two unreturnable serves.

The Kastles won the first nine points of the second set as Rodionova and Kastles substitute Jarmila Gajdosova beat Megan Moulton-Levy and Caitlin Whoriskey 5-2 in women's doubles.

In her first match as a Kastle, Gajdosova benefited from three past WTT seasons with the Kansas City Explorers. Whoriskey, however, was making her WTT debut.

It showed early on, helping the Kastles jump out to a 2-0 start. Washington made it 3-0 when Rodionova hit a strong first serve on a deciding 3-all point, setting Gajdosova up for a put-away volley.

Whoriskey calmed down to hold for 1-3, but the Lobsters were unable to inch any closer. Rodionova served out the set 5-2, giving the Kastles a 10-6 overall lead.

In singles play, Reynolds picked up his third straight WTT win over de Voest 5-3, then Rodionova gave Washington a 20-10 lead by beating Whoriskey 5-1.

It wasn't too long ago when de Voest held a 5-0 record against Reynolds on the ATP World Tour and a 1-0 mark in WTT play. But Reynolds has turned the tide the last two years by running the steady South African from side to side until he can capitalize on an opening.

The Kastles closer took a 3-1 lead, and reached a 3-all deciding point on de Voest's serve that could have made it 4-1. Instead, de Voest held and used that momentum to break Reynolds and tie the set at 3-3.

A well-called timeout by coach Murphy Jensen helped Reynolds refocus on working the points, allowing the 2013 WTT Finals MVP to regain the break for a 4-3 advantage. He served out the set in style with an ace, opening up a 15-9 halftime lead for the Kastles.

Reynolds has now won three straight WTT sets against de Voest by a combined score of 15-5.

Following a downpour, the teams moved indoors for the final two sets, with Rodionova continuing the Kastles' dominance, regardless of the setting.

She played sublime, aggressive tennis perfectly suited for the fast, indoor court. By attacking the former University of Tennessee American every chance she got, Rodionova broke Whoriskey twice to run away with the women's singles set in 16 minutes.

While it was a short set, Rodionova made a big impression with her shot-making and high level of play.

After Rodionova provided Washington with a 10-game lead, Butorac and Moulton-Levy prevented a sweep by defeating Paes and Gajdosova 5-3.

Despite losing the final set, Paes and Gajdosova got the one game they needed in overtime to clinch the Kastles' season-opening victory.

Boston's star rookie Sharon Fichman missed Monday's match with an ankle injury. The Canadian, who is ranked 83rd in singles and 48th in doubles on the WTA Tour, will also be replaced by Whoriskey on Wednesday when the Kastles and Lobsters meet again in Washington's home opener.

Kevin Anderson and Martina Hingis will make their season debuts in that match as Washington ushers in Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center. Premium seats are nearly sold out, so act now on tables, boxes and the best baseline views in tennis by calling 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647).

There are no bad tickets at our new arena, with great seats also still available starting at $8 on Ticketmaster.com. All fans in attendance will receive a Kastles championship shirt, courtesy of GEICO.

Washington Kastles 24, Boston Lobsters 16

Men's Doubles: Leander Paes/Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) def. Eric Butorac/Rik de Voest (Lobsters) 5-4

Women's Doubles: Jarmila Gajdosova/Anastasia Rodionova (Kastles) def. Megan Moulton-Levy/Caitlin Whoriskey (Lobsters) 5-2

Men's Singles: Bobby Reynolds (Kastles) def. Rik de Voest (Lobsters) 5-3

Women's Singles: Anastasia Rodionova (Kastles) def. Caitlin Whoriskey (Lobsters) 5-1

Mixed Doubles: Eric Butorac/Megan Moulton-Levy (Lobsters) def. Leander Paes/Jarmila Gajdosova (Kastles) 5-3

Overtime: Leander Paes/Jarmila Gajdosova (Kastles) 1, Eric Butorac/Megan Moulton-Levy (Lobsters) 1

Washington Kastles at Texas Wild Preview

Kastles Have Not Forgotten How Wild Ended 34-Match Streak

Washington Kastles (1-0) at Texas Wild (2-0)

Tuesday, July 8 at 8:30 pm

All-Time: Kastles tied with Wild 4-4

Kastles Streak: 13 straight wins overall

Last Meeting: Kastles def. Wild 23-16 on July 19, 2014 (Dallas, Texas)

Live Scoring: WashingtonKastles.com

Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram (#RefuseToLose)

Kastles coach Murphy Jensen and his players will always remember when they set the major U.S. pro sports record with their 34th consecutive victory.

As phenomenal as that feeling was, it didn't last long.

One night after surpassing the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers' all-time record, the Kastles were upset on the road by the Texas Wild.

It was an inspired performance by a Texas team playing its first home match after moving from Kansas City. Wimbledon singles finalist and current World No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard led the Wild with wins in women's singles and doubles.

When the same two teams met later last season, Washington avenged the end of its streak with a convincing road victory.

Tonight is the rubber match, and though Bouchard did not return this season, many of the same players who faced off in 2013 are back for more.

Leander Paes, Bobby Reynolds and Anastasia Rodionova of the Kastles will once again go head-to-head with Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi, Alex Bogomolov Jr. and Darija Jurak of the Wild in a battle for early-season WTT supremacy.

Washington is coming off a 24-16 win over Boston on Monday, while the Wild routed the Lobsters 23-14 on Sunday and edged the Springfield Lasers 17-16 in a Supertiebreaker on Monday.

The Kastles are now on a 13-match winning streak. Live scoring for tonight's match begins at 8:30 pm on WashingtonKastles.com.

SET-BY-SET PROJECTIONS

MS - B. Reynolds (WAS) vs. A. Bogomolov (TEX)

After Bogomolov beat Kevin Anderson 5-3 in the first Kastles vs. Wild match of 2013, Reynolds returned the favor with a 5-3 win over the Russian in the rematch. Reynolds and Bogomolov have also met six times since 2006 on the ATP Challenger Tour. Each player owns three wins in the rivalry, so expect only a few crucial points to be the difference between a Kastles men's singles victory and a Wild one.

WS - A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. A. Medina Garrigues (TEX)

Welcome to Mylan WTT, Anabel Medina Garrigues, a two-time French Open women's doubles champion playing her first season of team tennis. The Spaniard has held world rankings as high as No. 3 in doubles and No. 16 in singles, but she's not playing one-on-one any longer on tour. That should bode well for Rodionova, who defeated Medina Garrigues 7-5, 6-3 in their last meeting at the 2012 Family Circle Cup.

MD - L. Paes/B. Reynolds (WAS) vs. A. Bogomolov/A. Qureshi (TEX)

The Wild won four of five sets in their streak-ending victory last July. The one set that Texas didn't claim was men's doubles, with Reynolds and Paes defeating Bogomolov and Qureshi 5-3. As in men's singles, little will separate the Kastles and Wild in men's doubles. Paes leads tonight's Kastles lineup with 14 Grand Slam titles, while Qureshi is a 2010 US Open doubles finalist who's been ranked as high as No. 8.

WD - J. Gajdosova/A. Rodionova (WAS) vs. D. Jurak/A. Medina Garrigues (TEX)

After teaming for the first time in nearly two years on Monday, Rodionova and Kastles substitute Jarmila Gajdosova should feel more comfortable as partners against the Wild. Likewise, Medina Garrigues and Jurak are looking to improve chemistry with each passing set, having never played together on tour. Of the four women competing tonight, Medina Garrigues is the most established on tour with 23 WTA doubles titles.

MXD - L. Paes/J. Gajdosova (WAS) vs. A. Qureshi/A. Medina Garrigues (TEX)

Neither of tonight's mixed doubles pairs had ever teamed up before the WTT season. But all four players have experienced a great deal of mixed doubles success. Paes has won six Grand Slam mixed doubles titles, Gajdosova beat Paes en route to the 2013 Australian Open mixed championship, Qureshi reached the 2010 US Open mixed final and Medina Garrigues went 3-0 in mixed to capture the 2013 Hopman Cup for Spain.

KEY FOR THE KASTLES - GET OFF TO AN EARLY LEAD

After Texas defeated Washington 23-18 last July 10, the odds were seemingly in the Wild's favor when the two teams met again nine nights later.

The Wild had World No. 1s Bob and Mike Bryan and the WTA's it-girl Bouchard on their side. Though the Kastles countered with Martina Hingis, they were without an injured Paes.

Hingis blew out Bouchard 5-1, Reynolds beat Bogomolov 5-3 and the Bryans could not dig out of a nine-game deficit going into the final set of men's doubles.

If that match taught the Kastles anything, it's that they need to take the Texas crowd out of the match by getting off to a great start this evening.

The Kastles come home to D.C. tomorrow night for their home opener against the Lobsters, featuring the return of Hingis and Anderson to the Washington lineup. All fans in attendance will receive a free Kastles championship shirt courtesy of GEICO. Tickets start at $8; get yours now!

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