Doubles play is big key to Washington’s success
They are a curious assemblage of international odds and ends: Rennae Stubbs, 40, from Australia; Leander Paes, 38, from India; Bobby Reynolds, 29, from Cape Cod, Mass.; and Arina Rodionova, 21, from Russia.
But together they form a cohesive juggernaut on the verge of making World TeamTennis history. With a win tonight in the WTT final, the Washington Kastles (15-0) can become the first team to achieve perfection in the 36-year history of the league.
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“We’re all unique individuals,” Paes said. “But [owner Mark Ein] has brought us all together where we complement each other.”
| WTT championship |
| Kastles vs. TBA |
| When » Sunday, 5 p.m. |
| Where » |
| Family Circle Stadium, |
| Charleston, S.C. |
| TV » Tennis Channel |
On Friday night in the Eastern Conference finals at Family Circle Stadium in Charleston, S.C., the Kastles rolled past the Boston Lobsters 23-15 in another show of doubles dominance. In the first three matches of the night, all doubles, the Kastles won 15 of 20 games.
Stellar doubles play is hardly a surprise from Washington. Paes has 12 Grand Slam doubles titles on his resume and was named the league’s male MVP on Friday for the second time in three years. Stubbs has won six Grand Slam doubles titles and was the league’s MVP in 2008.
As holdovers from the Kastles’ 2009 WTT championship squad, Paes and Stubbs have been the constants. But their ability to blend with newcomers Reynolds, the 2010 WTT male rookie of the year, and Rodionova, this year’s female rookie of the year, has pushed Washington to new heights.
“Last year we had Bobby on the team for the first time, and it took us a while to get going. All the work we did last year is really paying off this year,” Paes said. “But really for me, it’s all about the team environment. Every night, one person on the team has just lit it up. It changes every night. That’s what team tennis is all about.”
An example came July 12, when Reynolds served the key points in men’s doubles as Washington fended off five match points in a 20-19 victory over the New York Sportimes, one of five wins for the Kastles this year by a single game.
One of those victories came over the St. Louis Aces, a potential opponent for the Kastles on Sunday. The Aces (8-6) face the Sacramento Capitals (8-6) on Saturday night for the Western Conference title and a berth in the title match.
Winning a title was the goal of the Kastles, not going undefeated. On Thursday, coach Murphy Jensen was asked whether his team feels any additional pressure a la the New England Patriots, who lost in the 2008 Super Bowl with a chance to go 19-0.
“We don’t have to tackle guys to win matches. We don’t have to get first downs,” Jensen said. “We have to execute and perform well. If we do that, we will be successful. As far as the championship goes, this team has already been beyond successful.”
