In five short seasons, the Washington Kastles have quickly rewritten the history books of Mylan World TeamTennis. The incomparable Serena Williams represented the Kastles in their very first match in Downtown DC on July 8, 2008, and the Kastles have taken the Washington sports scene by storm ever since.
Playing in front of their home crowd in the 2009 WTT Finals, the Kastles saved three championship points to capture the King Trophy. They topped that in 2011 by winning all 16 of their matches, including the WTT Finals, to become the first team in the 37-year history of the league to complete a perfect season.
History repeated itself in 2012 when the Kastles completed an unprecedented second straight undefeated season, winning their third WTT title and increasing their unbeaten run to 32 matches.
Through five years of terrific tennis, the Kastles have featured four of the greatest players in the sport. Grand Slam champions and former World No. 1 players Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Leander Paes and Rennae Stubbs each played major roles in the Kastles' championship runs.
Washington has won nine straight matches with Serena in the lineup and all 10 in which Venus has donned the red-and-blue. Paes was named the league's Male MVP in 2009 and 2011, while Stubbs solidified the Kastles in both women's and mixed doubles.
But besides the big names, there have been unsung heroes along the way who've provided Kastles fans with some of the most memorable moments in team history.
-- Nadia Petrova joined Washington for its final two matches of the 2009 regular season, helping the Kastles clinch the playoff spot that resulted in their first world championship.
-- Scott Oudsema emerged as the 2009 WTT Finals MVP and Olga Puchkova saved three championship points in women's singles to lead the Kastles to the title.
-- Bobby Reynolds closed out the fifth set in 11 of Washington's 16 matches in 2011 to preserve the Kastles' historic perfect season.
-- Treat Huey and Edina Gallovits-Hall helped Washington win its final four regular-season matches in 2012 after Paes and Anastasia Rodionova left for the Olympics.
To keep those memories alive, WashingtonKastles.com now features a "History of the Kastles" section, complete with results, statistics and photos from the first five years of Kastles tennis.
All 25 players who've represented Washington have their own pages, including 2010 wild card Victoria Azarenka, 2011 WTT Finals MVP Arina Rodionova and 2008 substitute Vince Spadea, who played (and won) the first set in Washington Kastles history.
Enjoy your trip down memory lane and see you back at Kastles Stadium in 2013!
Cumulative Results
Kastles vs. Mylan WTT
OPPONENT OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL OT STB STREAK
Boston Lobsters 6-4 2-2 3-2 1-0 4-3 0-0 Won 5
New York Sportimes 11-4 5-1 5-3 1-0 2-0 4-2 Won 8
Philadelphia Freedoms 8-3 4-2 4-1 0-0 1-2 2-0 Won 4
Orange County Breakers* 5-1 2-0 3-1 0-0 1-0 0-1 Won 4
Sacramento Capitals 4-2 2-1 1-1 1-0 1-0 0-0 Won 4
Springfield Lasers 6-1 3-0 3-1 0-0 1-1 0-0 Won 6
Texas Wild^ 3-3 2-1 1-2 0-0 1-1 0-0 Won 3
St. Louis Aces (2008-11) 5-1 3-1 1-0 1-0 2-0 1-0 Won 4
New York Buzz (2008-10) 6-1 5-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 Won 6
Delaware Smash (2008) 1-1 0-1 1-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 Lost 1
TOTAL 55-21 28-9 23-12 4-0 14-7 8-4 Won 32
* Known as Newport Beach Breakers (2008-11)
^ Known as Kansas City Explorers (2008-12)
All-Time Roster
Martina Hingis 2013 Roster Player
* Missed 2010 and 2012 seasons with injuries.
Contributing Photographers: Willis Bretz, Max Cook, Ned Dishman, Rich Kessler, Kevin Koski, Fred & Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA, Vithaya Phongsavan, Andrew Riddle, Ben Rogers,
USCTrojans.com