Where else are you treated to a man on stilts (who my colleague Nick Lilja proclaims to be the best hype man in the game), guest appearances from the likes of Venus and Serena Williams and are ordered to fill in the empty seats closer to the action? World team tennis of course.
Tonight I was given the awesome opportunity to witness this step-child to tennis majors. Tonight in Washington D.C., at The Wharf, the Washington Kastles hosted the Springfield Lasers. It was a riveting match.
Coming into the match, D.C. held a 7-0 record and hoping to start off the regular season second half just right. Bobby “The Renegade” Reynolds got things rolling, winning the first set against Rik De Voest. His spirited play was a rallying cry throughout the night.
When it seemed as if the Kastles would simply outmatch the Lasers, things got a little interesting. In the fifth and final set, Washington’s double tandem of Leander Paes and Reynolds was primed to go home victorious. Up 4-3 in the set and 20-19 in the match, the Lasers knotted things up at 4 in the set to treat the prideful crowd to some free tennis in over time.
“You know we don’t really like for it to come down to the last match like that,” Reynolds said. “But you know I think the fans love it.”
Under team tennis rules, the first to five wins in sudden death. The Kastles held their own in the final go round building a 4-2 advantage. Paes, who wowed the crowd with his wicked serve power, used the forehand return to Jean Anderson’s feet, causing him to commit an error into the net giving D.C. the win 21-20.
After the game, an elated third year Kastles coach Murphy Jensen talked about wanting his team to focus on the moment at hand.
“We’ve got a crazy record,” Jensen said. “Before the match I said it doesn’t matter what our record. It doesn’t matter today. It doesn’t matter tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done up to this point. All that mattered was how well we were gonna play. I think tonight just showed what kind of team we were.”
Being the only undefeated team in the WTT Pro League is nothing to frown upon. Jensen says there are still heights yet to be reached by his team.
“We haven’t played our best match yet,” he said. “When that happens, we’re gonna be really smoking. But the crowd really pulls us through and we never quit.”
The Kastles return to the court tomorrow as they host the St. Louis Aces at 7 p.m. Tennis legends Billie Jean King and Chris Evert will make guest appearances.
Quiet as kept, world team tennis boasts an impressive array of players
James Blake-Boston Lobsters
John Isner-Boston Lobsters
Kim Clijsters-New York Sportimes
Martina Hingis-New York Sportimes
John McEnroe-New York Sportimes
Jimmy Connors-Philadelphia Freedom
Melanie Oudin-Philadelphia Freedom
Serena Williams-Washington Kastles
Venus Williams-Washington Kastles
Pete Sampras-Newport Beach Breakers
Mardy Fish-Sacramento Capitals
Lindsay Davenport-St. Louis Aces
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