2012 Washington Kastles Tickets On Sale Now
Don't Miss Seven Sensational Summer Nights!
Few fans will ever forget how Bobby Reynolds and Leander Paes stunned the Sportimes in 2011.
(Photo by Ned Dishman)
Individual match tickets to the much-anticipated fifth season of Washington Kastles tennis are now on sale through
Ticketmaster.com!
Coming off a second World TeamTennis title in three seasons and a historic 16-0 season, the Kastles offer an interactive and entertaining sports experience unlike any other.
This July, each of the Kastles' seven home matches will present an intriguing storyline as Washington seeks to repeat its unprecedented success of 2011.
No rivalry in World TeamTennis comes close to the drama and intensity between Washington and New York. In three of the four prior regular-season meetings between the Kastles and Sportimes in DC, the teams were tied through five sets and a winner-take-all Supertiebreaker was needed to decide the winner.
Last season, Leander Paes and Bobby Reynolds saved five match points to bring the fans to their feet and protect the Kastles' perfect season. Paes and the Sportimes' Robert Kendrick, who nailed each other with shots during a heated 2009 match, are both back in 2012. Throw in former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and ex-Playboy cover girl Ashley Harkleroad (representing the Sportimes), and this year's home opener promises to be a night to remember.
SUN. JULY 15 vs. PHILADELPHIA FREEDOMS TICKETS: $15-$30
It's USTA/Family Night at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf, when the pre-match activities will feature
interactive games, clinics and fun for the entire family. On court, it will be a family feud when the Kastles and Freedoms meet in an Eastern Conference showdown.
Washington's
Arina Rodionova is joined this season by her older sister
Anastasia, currently ranked No. 19 in doubles and No. 92 in singles. The Freedoms feature 20-year-old twin sisters
Karolina and
Kristyna Pliskova, who were both Junior Grand Slam champions. An all-sisters women's doubles set will be a sight to see. In men's play, the experience of Paes and Bobby Reynolds will be daunting for WTT rookies
Luka Gregorc and
Jordan Kerr to overcome.
MON. JULY 16 vs. BOSTON LOBSTERS TICKETS: $45-$85
Former world No. 1 and 21-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams brings her own perfect record to DC when she represents Washington against the Boston Lobsters. The Kastles are 5-0 with Venus in their lineup since she joined the squad in 2010, including a scintillating comeback from three games down in the final set against Philadelphia last season.
Also in 2011, Washington beat Boston by a combined 30 games in their three head-to-head meetings, capped by a 23-15 win in the Eastern Conference Championship that sent the Kastles to the WTT Finals. Three members of that Lobsters team are returning to the only All-American roster in World TeamTennis, including the energetic Irina Falconi, who reached the third round of the 2011 US Open, and world No. 35 doubles player Eric Butorac.
Two perennial playoff powerhouses will square off when the Kastles and Capitals meet. Sacramento boasts big-serving American Sam Querrey, who holds the world record with 10 consecutive aces in a match and has been ranked as high as No. 17 in the world. Querrey has proven a difficult match-up for the Kastles' Reynolds, beating him in all three of their meetings on tour.
Making a cross-country road trip is difficult for any sports team, and it showed when Washington and Sacramento played in DC last season. The Kastles swept all five sets, highlighted by Arina Rodionova's 5-0 women's singles win over former Capital Vania King. This year's Capitals team will once again feature former world No. 1 doubles player Mark Knowles.
Arina Rodionova enjoyed her breakthrough performance of 2011 against the Sacramento Capitals.
(Photo by Willis Bretz)
Hall-of-Famer and 18-time Grand Slam singles champion Chris Evert will host a fan reception open to all ticketholders before the Kastles host the Breakers. For as little as $15, Mid-Atlantic tennis fans can meet one of tennis' living legends and enjoy a Friday night under the lights of Kastles Stadium at The Wharf.
The Kastles and Breakers have only played once before in DC, and this year's Orange County squad is entirely different than the one that lost to Washington 22-12 in 2009. Anna Lena-Groenefeld, a former Wimbledon mixed doubles champion, leads the Breakers alongside former New York Sportime Travis Parrott and four-year University of Tennessee All-American John-Patrick Smith.
Serena Williams returns to the Kastles for one night only this season before she goes for gold at the Olympic Games in London. Washington has won nine consecutive matches with Serena in the lineup dating back to the Kastles' inaugural season in 2008. With Serena currently playing some of the best tennis of her career, Kansas City will face a difficult task in front of what's expected to be a capacity crowd.
While the Kastles captured the King Trophy in 2009 and 2011, it was the Explorers who won the WTT title in between. Through four seasons, Kansas City is the only WTT franchise to post a winning record against Washington, claiming three of four prior meetings. Kansas City is led by talented doubles player Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan and rising South African Chanel Simmonds, who is likely to be Serena's singles opponent.
The Kastles and Freedoms will meet in Washington's home finale for the second straight year after Washington clinched a perfect regular season with a 25-11 sweep of Philadelphia to end 2011.
This time around, the Kastles will contest three road matches following their last match in DC, which means they will be keen to wrap up a playoff berth against the Freedoms before boarding a plane for New York, Kansas City and Springfield. Washington is 4-0 all-time in home finales.
Season tickets remain the best option for fans to secure the closest seats to the court at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf.
For as little as $150, you can enjoy a package of perks exclusive for season-ticket holders. Among those benefits are a season-ticket holder clinic with Coach Murphy Jensen at Kastles Stadium at The Wharf and invitations to Kastles' parties and social events.
A very small supply of our four-seat Premier Courtside Boxes and water-view Kastles' Boxes are also on sale, providing fans with access to the VIP hospitality lounge. The Kastles' immensely popular VIP dinner tables are all reserved, though interested fans can have their name added to a waiting list.
Most matches sell out and season-ticket holders get the best available seats, so join the nearly 20,000 fans who witnessed the Kastles' historic 2011 season and secure your tickets today. Visit WashingtonKastles.com for more information or call the Kastles' office at 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647) to place your season-ticket order!
Leander Paes plays mixed doubles with Venus Williams July 16 and Serena July 22.
(Photo by Ned Dishman)