WTT Washington Kastles

Wimbledon Preview: Serena Seeks 4th Straight Slam; Will Venus Stop Her?

Published on June 27, 2015 under World TeamTennis (WTT)
Washington Kastles News Release


It marked the first time that the Kastles superstar backed up one of her six singles triumphs at the Australian Open with a championship in Paris, putting her in contention for a sweep of all four major tournaments in 2015.

Now halfway to the first calendar Grand Slam of the 21st century, Williams arrives at Wimbledon with the burden and privilege of great expectations.

If she wins the title on July 11, Williams will hold all four Grand Slam singles championships at the same time, a streak that started at the 2014 US Open.

She already accomplished a 'Serena Slam' when she captured titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2002, followed by the Australian Open in 2003.

Both Serena and sister Venus Williams are hoping to raise the iconic Venus Rosewater Dish for a sixth time. In fact, Serena and Venus have combined for 21 Wimbledon titles in singles, doubles and mixed.

It's only fitting that they may have to go through one another to win another Wimbledon singles title: Serena and Venus could meet July 6 in the Round of 16.

The Williams sisters are also seeded 12th in their first doubles tournament of 2015. They are on the same side of the draw as the top-seeded team of Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza. Hingis won the first of her 16 Grand Slam titles 19 years ago at Wimbledon, teaming with Helena Sukova for the doubles title.

Fourth-year Kastle Anastasia Rodionova and sister Arina Rodionova are the No. 15 seeds. Anastasia reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals in 2014 with former Kastles substitute Alla Kudryavtseva, who is playing for the Austin Aces this season.

Meanwhile in men's doubles, living legends Leander Paes and Daniel Nestor are seeded 11th. Paes is expected to team up with his Kastles partner Hingis in mixed doubles as they seek a second Grand Slam title following this year's Australian Open.

Sam Querrey and Denis Kudla give the Kastles a pair of dark horses in the men's singles draw. Querrey is coming off his second ATP World Tour final of the season, while Kudla was awarded a wild card after lifting the Aegon Ilkley Trophy on June 20.

Also representing the Kastles is World No. 36 Madison Brengle, who will meet Venus Williams in the opening round on Monday. Brengle and Williams will represent the Kastles during the first week of the Mylan World TeamTennis season.

For complete Kastle-by-Kastle analysis, please continue reading our extended Wimbledon preview. And for Wimbledon 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.

SERENA WILLIAMS

No. 1 seed in Women's Singles

When five-time champ Serena Williams is on at Wimbledon, she's on. But Williams has not reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals since 2012. The No. 1 seed was stunned by Sabine Lisicki in 2013 and Alizé Cornet in 2014. This year, it's Venus Williams who looms large in Serena's section of the draw. With wins in their first three matches, Serena and Venus will meet in the Round of 16 on July 6. Serena is 3-2 overall against Venus on Wimbledon's Centre Court.

VENUS WILLIAMS

No. 16 seed in Women's Singles

Before the tennis world can look ahead to a Venus vs. Serena showdown, it will be treated to a different Kastle vs. Kastle match-up. Venus takes on Washington's newest women's player Madison Brengle in the opening round on Monday. Should she reach the third round, Venus will likely face one of three Italian veterans: Sara Errani, Francesca Schiavone or Roberta Vinci. Errani defeated Venus in the third round of the 2014 US Open by the unusual score of 6-0, 0-6, 7-6(5).

MARTINA HINGIS

No. 1 seed in Women's Doubles

After winning their first three events, Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza have gone five without a title. Though they are the top seeds, Hingis and Mirza have a difficult draw. Also in their half are Australian Open and French Open champions Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova, 2012 Wimbledon finalists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, and five-time Wimbledon winners Venus and Serena Williams. Hingis hasn't met the Williams sisters in doubles since 2001.

LEANDER PAES

No. 11 seed in Men's Doubles

Leander Paes has enjoyed his share of success on the lawns of London dating back 25 years to his 1990 Wimbledon boys' singles title. He's added three mixed titles since then, but he hasn't played in the men's doubles final since 1999. Paes was eliminated in the semis each of the last two years, first by Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, then by Vasek Pospisil and Jack Sock. Both of those teams are on the same side of the 2015 draw as Paes and Daniel Nestor.

SAM QUERREY

Unseeded in Men's Singles

What was the key to Sam Querrey's four wins in Nottingham last week? He went 4-0 in tiebreakers thanks to his record-breaking serve, which once accounted for 10 consecutive aces in a match. If Querrey gets past Igor Sijsling in the opening round, he will need all of the clutch serving he can summon. That's because seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer is very likely to be his second-round opponent. Querrey and Federer have never played on grass.

ANASTASIA RODIONOVA

No. 15 seed in Women's Doubles

Anastasia and Arina Rodionova must be feeling a bit of déjà vu at Wimbledon this week. Their doubles draw mirrors the French Open, where the sisters were seeded 15th and faced No. 2 seeds Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the third round. Makarova and Vesnina won 6-0, 3-6, 6-2, but Anastasia is not far removed from a pair of victories over the Russians. She and Alla Kudryavtseva defeated Makarova and Vesnina at Dubai and the WTA Finals last season.

DENIS KUDLA

Wild Card in Men's Singles

When you're a wild card at a Grand Slam, your first-round opponent could be anyone from a qualifier to a Federer. So new Kastle Denis Kudla could have drawn worse than No. 28 seed Pablo Cuevas on Monday. Cuevas is 2-4 in grass-court singles matches, while Kudla has reached two ATP World Tour quarterfinals on the surface. In the second round, Kudla could meet Teymuraz Gabashvili of the Austin Aces. Kudla and Gabashvili will play one another July 14 at Kastles Stadium.

MADISON BRENGLE

Unseeded in Women's Singles

Madison Brengle's first-round opponents over the last two months have included former US Open champion Samantha Stosur, Australian Open semifinalist Madison Keys, and her new Kastles teammate Serena Williams. The World No. 36's good run of bad luck continues on Monday when she makes her main draw debut at Wimbledon against five-time champion Venus Williams. Brengle joins the Kastles following Wimbledon for five matches July 12-18.

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World TeamTennis Stories from June 27, 2015


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