From Washington Kastles...
In the most thrilling match of the young WTT season, the Washington Kastles won their fourth match in a row, a dramatic 19-18 supertiebreaker victory over the Philadelphia Freedoms in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 3,000.
The win brought the Kastles record to 4-4 overall, good enough for second-place in the Eastern Conference and a spot in the playoffs if they started today.
It was a roller-coaster match which saw the Kastles fall behind 5-1 after the first event and then climb back to take a three-game lead going into the fifth event, where the Freedoms (4-5) caught up. Just when it seemed the momentum had swung back to the Freedoms, the Kastles' Scott Oudsema rallied past Nathan Healy to win the match for D.C.
The night began in startling fashion after 14-year-old phenom Madison Keys stormed out to take the first event 5-1 from Serena Williams. While Philadelphia underdogs make for great Hollywood movies, in real life, heavyweight champions often get up after they have been knocked down. And Williams did just that.
The reigning Wimbledon champion began the comeback by teaming with fellow Grand Slam winner Rennae Stubbs to defeat Keys and teammate Lisa Raymond 5-4 in the women's doubles event. With the best team mixed doubles record in the WTT, it was little surprise that Williams and Leander Paes played inspired tennis to defeat Raymond and Healey 5-1 in the next event to give the Kastles an 11-10 lead at halftime.
After the break, Paes once again took the court, this time with Oudsema, who has the WTT's best individual record in men's doubles this season. The dynamic duo won the event 5-3, putting the Kastles up three games with the aforementioned men's singles event remaining.
After Oudsema expanded the Kastles' lead in the fifth event by breaking Healy in the first game, the Australian broke right back by winning four straight points after going down 3-0. The comeback changed the momentum of the set and the match as Healey broke Oudsema in the fourth game and held on to win the event 5-2, tying the overall score at 18-18. Going into the deciding Supertiebreker, the momentum solidly in the Freedoms' favor, and Healy jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Just when things looked bleakest for the Kastles, Oudsema summoned the resilience that has become his trademark during the Kastles winning streak as "Boom Boom" won the final five points of the match to snatch a heroic 7-4 supertiebreaker win and secure the Kastles a 19-18 victory.
Oudsema was mobbed by his teammates, who jumped off the bench after the win, but the group will not have long to savor the win.
Serena in DC tonight!
Williams will make her only appearance this season in Washington tonight, as her and the Kastles will take on the Newport Beach Breakers in front of a sold-out crowd at Kastles Stadium, where they will try to avenge their 21-20 opening night loss to the Breakers. Gates open at 5:15 p.m., with the match starting at 7 p.m.
In the most thrilling match of the young WTT season, the Washington Kastles won their fourth match in a row, a dramatic 19-18 supertiebreaker victory over the Philadelphia Freedoms in front of a sold-out crowd of nearly 3,000.
The win brought the Kastles record to 4-4 overall, good enough for second-place in the Eastern Conference and a spot in the playoffs if they started today.
It was a roller-coaster match which saw the Kastles fall behind 5-1 after the first event and then climb back to take a three-game lead going into the fifth event, where the Freedoms (4-5) caught up. Just when it seemed the momentum had swung back to the Freedoms, the Kastles' Scott Oudsema rallied past Nathan Healy to win the match for D.C.
The night began in startling fashion after 14-year-old phenom Madison Keys stormed out to take the first event 5-1 from Serena Williams. While Philadelphia underdogs make for great Hollywood movies, in real life, heavyweight champions often get up after they have been knocked down. And Williams did just that.
The reigning Wimbledon champion began the comeback by teaming with fellow Grand Slam winner Rennae Stubbs to defeat Keys and teammate Lisa Raymond 5-4 in the women's doubles event. With the best team mixed doubles record in the WTT, it was little surprise that Williams and Leander Paes played inspired tennis to defeat Raymond and Healey 5-1 in the next event to give the Kastles an 11-10 lead at halftime.
After the break, Paes once again took the court, this time with Oudsema, who has the WTT's best individual record in men's doubles this season. The dynamic duo won the event 5-3, putting the Kastles up three games with the aforementioned men's singles event remaining.
After Oudsema expanded the Kastles' lead in the fifth event by breaking Healy in the first game, the Australian broke right back by winning four straight points after going down 3-0. The comeback changed the momentum of the set and the match as Healey broke Oudsema in the fourth game and held on to win the event 5-2, tying the overall score at 18-18. Going into the deciding Supertiebreker, the momentum solidly in the Freedoms' favor, and Healy jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Just when things looked bleakest for the Kastles, Oudsema summoned the resilience that has become his trademark during the Kastles winning streak as "Boom Boom" won the final five points of the match to snatch a heroic 7-4 supertiebreaker win and secure the Kastles a 19-18 victory.
Oudsema was mobbed by his teammates, who jumped off the bench after the win, but the group will not have long to savor the win.
Serena in DC tonight!
Williams will make her only appearance this season in Washington tonight, as her and the Kastles will take on the Newport Beach Breakers in front of a sold-out crowd at Kastles Stadium, where they will try to avenge their 21-20 opening night loss to the Breakers. Gates open at 5:15 p.m., with the match starting at 7 p.m.
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