WORLD TEAM TENNIS WTT WASHINGTON KASTLES MOUNT WILD COMEBACK TO BEAT DREAM TEAM 19-17; THURSDAY IS BIG HOME PLAYOFF MATCH

Written by: Staff on 28th July 2015

WORLD TEAM TENNIS WTT WASHINGTON KASTLES MOUNT WILD COMEBACK TO BEAT DREAM TEAM 19-17; THURSDAY IS BIG HOME PLAYOFF MATCH |

Kastles Mount Wild Comeback to Beat Dream 19-17

Querrey, Rodionova Rally Washington Back From 10-4 Deficit

Heroes high five as Sam Querrey and Anastasia Rodionova celebrate their comeback win.

(Photo by Willis Bretz)

He’s only been a Kastle for a week, but Sam Querrey heard loud and clear what happens when you wear red and blue as fans deafened the Smith Center to help the home team defeat the California Dream 19-17 on Monday.

Washington trailed 10-4 after two sets before mounting a rally that Querrey capped by beating Tennys Sandgren 5-2 in front of one of the rowdiest crowds in franchise history.

Though it was Querrey who closed the comeback, it was the league’s top-rated women’s doubles player Anastasia Rodionova who sparked it.

After Washington won the third set of men’s doubles 5-4, Rodionova overshadowed her famous partner Martina Hingis and overpowered her opponents Anabel Medina Garrigues and Jarmila Gajdosova.

The Kastles’ 5-1 win in women’s doubles cut California’s lead to 15-14 and opened the door for heroics from the 30th-ranked Querrey.

Neal Skupski showed why he and Anabel Medina Garrigues are WTT’s top-rated mixed doubles team.

(Photo by Willis Bretz)

For the second straight night, the Kastles started slowly in mixed doubles and Leander Paes was broken in the opening game of the match.

Former LSU Tiger Neal Skupski helped secure the early break with a crosscourt forehand winner and a well-timed topspin lob. The Brit continued to bring his A-game on serve, hitting Paes off the court, then placing a volley between the Kastles for a winner and a 2-0 lead.

The Dream would hold onto their one-break advantage for the duration of the set, but it wasn’t easy.

Leading 3-2, Skupski saved two break points on his serve. After Hingis held, the Kastles opened up a 0-3 lead on Medina Garrigues’ serve. The Spaniard fought all four break chances off, the last two with well-struck serves out wide that Hingis could not return into the court.

That sealed the set for California 5-3 and marked just the third time in three seasons that Paes and Hingis have lost for the Kastles (20-3).

Jarmila Gajdosova’s power put Martina Hingis in uncomfortable positions time and again Monday.

(Photo by Willis Bretz)

Despite the defeat, it appeared as though Hingis would recover in women’s singles, quickly holding for 1-0.

But the 64th-ranked Gajdosova quickly took control with deep, flat groundstrokes that she often followed to the net for put-aways.

Gajdosova, who substituted for Hingis at two Kastles matches in 2014, held nothing back against her former team, muscling her way to a 3-1 lead.

Following a changeover, Hingis faced a 3-all point on her serve and believed that her first serve went in. It was called out, and after Hingis double-faulted to concede another break, she slammed her racquet in frustration.

Gajdosova served the set out with a down-the-line winner followed by two service winners, defeating Hingis 5-1 to open up a 10-4 lead for California.

Fans in the Grandstand let their voices be heard throughout Monday’s dramatic match.

(Photo by Kevin Koski)

In the third set of men’s doubles, Paes and Querrey each held serve before earning three break points on Skupski in the fourth game.

As he did in mixed, Skupski fought through adversity, holding for 2-2 when Sandgren was ready for Paes’ reflex volley and put his own forehand volley away.

After holds by Querrey and Sandgren, Paes won a 3-all point on his serve with a forehand volley winner for 4-3, then Skupski won a deciding point in the next game to force a tiebreaker.

Now 0-for-10 on break points in the match, the Kastles didn’t let missed opportunities stand in their way of taking a 4-2 lead in the tiebreak. Skupski saved one set point when Paes missed a backhand, and a second set point by steering a slice backhand down-the-line for an eye-opening winner.

Kastles coach Murphy Jensen iced Skupski before the winner-take-all 4-4 point by calling a timeout. The strategy worked when Skupski double-faulted, giving Paes and Querrey their fifth consecutive doubles win.

Anastasia Rodionova showed off great serves, volleys and groundstrokes in doubles.

(Photo by Willis Bretz)

Her team down 14-9, Rodionova took matters into her own hands in women’s doubles. After holding for 1-1, she blasted a down-the-line forehand into Gajdosova’s chest on the very next point.

That body shot paid dividends at 1-3 in the same game when Rodionova again flattened a forehand that flew past Gajdosova, who didn’t make an attempt at the volley, allowing the Kastles to break Medina Garrigues.

Rodionova then helped Hingis hold for a 3-1 lead by hitting a pair of volley winners. When Gajdosova served in the next game, Rodionova won the first point with a down-the-line backhand return winner. Washington would go on to break Gajdosova for 4-1.

It was only fitting that the set ended on Rodionova’s racquet, and on a 3-all point, she smacked an ace down the service tee to emphatically claim the set 5-1.

Sam Querrey got a little cheeky in the final set before pulling it out and leading the Kastles to a win.

(Photo by Rich Kessler)

What once was a six-game Dream lead had been trimmed to 15-14 entering the final set of men’s singles.

Querrey hit forehand winners to hold in each of his first two service games, but Sandgren countered with two holds of his own.

After a changeover, Sandgren forced a 3-all point on Querrey’s gargantuan serve after retrieving a drop shot and hitting a spectacular running forehand winner. But on the biggest point of the match, the 24-year-old Sandgren could not make a second-serve return, giving Querrey a 3-2 lead in the set and tying the match at 17-17.

Querrey hit a backhand winner to begin the next game, then Sandgren hit a first-serve fault at 0-1. As Sandgren went through the motion on his second serve, a ballgirl behind him mishandled a ball, causing the chair umpire to call a let and replay the point.

By rule, a first serve was awarded to Sandgren, but the Kastles’ bench and crowd vehemently objected. As boos rained down on the officials, Sandgren incited even more jeers by doing his best Hulk Hogan impression, motioning his hands to his ears several times to encourage the fans to be even louder.

The villainous Sandgren even had the long, blonde locks and scruffy facial hair of Hogan, but he didn’t have the wrestler’s trademark resolve. Sandgren double-faulted twice in the game, which only made the partisan Kastles crowd rowdier. Then, on a 3-all point, Sandgren netted a forehand to give Querrey the break and a 4-2 advantage.

Serving for the match, Querrey hit an ace down the tee at 2-2 in the game, then finished Sandgren off with an unreturnable serve out wide.

With the win, Washington remains in contention for the best overall regular-season record in Mylan World TeamTennis. That would give the Kastles the ability to choose the order of play in the Mylan WTT Finals should Washington advance to that match.

If the 9-3 Kastles can defeat the 10-2 Austin Aces on the road tonight, Washington will have beaten Austin two of three times this season. The Kastles would then assume the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs with a win at home against the Boston Lobsters in Wednesday’s regular-season finale.

Martina Hingis and Leander Paes celebrate when Sam Querrey clinches the match.

(Photo by Jack Gorman)

Kastles Bring 10-0 Postseason Record to 2015 Playoffs

Washington Hosts Eastern Conference Championship Thurs. at 7 pm,

and with a win, Mylan WTT Finals Sun. at 11:30 am

Fan-Appreciation Pricing on VIP Seats; Tickets Start at Only $10

Sam Querrey and Leander Paes are enjoying great success going into the Mylan WTT Playoffs.

(Photo by Oliver Devine)

Kastles playoff tickets are now on sale and we want you to be there when Washington plays for a record-setting fifth consecutive Mylan World TeamTennis Championship and sixth title overall!

The Kastles will host the Eastern Conference Championship match against the Boston Lobsters or Philadelphia Freedoms on Thursday, July 30 at 7 pm. With a win, Washington will once again be at home in the Mylan WTT Finals Sunday, August 2 at 11:30 am.

As thanks for our fans’ overwhelming support again this season, we are proud to offer fan-appreciation pricing. 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. Get yours now because they’re going fast.

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.

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.

Martina Hingis and Anastasia Rodionova also played together in the 2013 and 2014 playoffs.

(Photo by Oliver Devine)

The Kastles lineup for 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. 30 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 Mylan WTT Finals, the cost of tickets to that match will be refunded.

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

Topics: Anastasia Rodionova, Leander Paes, Martina Hingis, Mylan WTT, Sam Querrey, Tennis, Washington Kastles, World Team Tennis

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10sBalls_com says:

July 28, 2015 at 1:06 pm

@WorldTeamTennis @WashKastles MOUNT WILD COMEBACK TO BEAT DREAM TEAM 19-17; THURSDAY IS BIG HOME PLAYOFF MATCH – http://t.co/KgYOdhQ9CM