Washington Kastles Rolling at 12-0

By Robert Baker, WHMG TV

For the second time in as many weeks the NY Sportimes forced the Washington Kastles into a Super TieBreak by rallying in the 5th set to tie the match at 20 all. And once again the men’s doubles of the Kastles prevailed over the Sportimes as Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds won 7-6 over Jesse Witten and Travis Parrott. This keeps the Kastles as the only unbeaten team in the WTT at 12-0.

 

Serena Williams rejoined the Kastles and won her singles match and women’s doubles match against the Sportimes, putting her team in an early position to win. However Jesse Witten and Travis Parrott in men’s doubles won convincingly in the fifth erasing the early lead. Witten also won 5-4 over Reynolds in the Men’s singles match. Reynolds, of late, has roared to early leads and then shown an inability to hold on to that lead. On this night he started out 4-2 over Witten but allowed Witten to win 3 straight games for the set win. Tonight’s game will once again feature Serena Williams facing Martina Hingis.

On Tuesday Serena defeated Hingis 5-3 in singles and teamed with Rennae Stubbs to beat Hingis and Katie O’Brien 5-2 in doubles. She did along with teammate Paes, however, lost the mixed doubles match to Hingis and Travis Parrot: 5-4. The Kastles clinched the number 1 seed in the East with their win over the Boston Lobsters on July 18th. It was sweet revenge after the late season loss to the Lobsters in 2010 ended the Kastles season and knocked them out of the playoffs.

With two games left in the season the Kastles have a chance to match the 1994 Newport Beach Dukes as the only undefeated team in WTT history, a history that spans 36 years. To accomplish that feat the Kastles would have to win tonight, another away game against the Sportimes, and on July 21st a home game against the Philadelphia Freedom. With the number 1 seed secure for Friday July 22nds Eastern Conference Championship match in South Carolina there are some questions as to whether the Kastles will look ahead past tonight’s match; after all they have beaten their opponent twice in as many weeks. But that does not appear to be the M.O. of this 2011 Washington DC Kastles team. They have needed to rally in 8 of their twelve games this season and Coach Murphy Jensen is not one to take opponents lightly.