Thursday, April 14, 2016

Washington Kastles Release 2016 Schedule

2-time WTT MVP Martina Hingis

From our friends at the Washington Kastles...

Bryan Brothers and Martina Hingis to Kick Off Kastles’ Blockbuster 2016 Home Schedule on August 1

New Kastle Mardy Fish joins Sam Querrey, Leander Paes, Anastasia Rodionova and Madison Brengle in quest to win 6th straight and 7th overall WTT title

Opening night at Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center will feature the Washington Kastles debut of the winningest all-time men’s doubles team, Bob and Mike Bryan, alongside current World No. 1, Tennis Hall-of-Famer and two-time Mylan World TeamTennis MVP Martina Hingis, who returns for her fourth season as a Kastle.

The three stars, who together have an unprecedented 64 Grand Slam titles, will lead Head Coach Murphy Jensen’s Kastles squad against the Springfield Lasers on Monday, August 1. Hingis will remain with the team to take on the New York Empire the very next night, Tuesday, August 2 in front of a home crowd.


The Bryans will be joined by friends and fellow American legends Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish. Fish will play in all twelve Kastles regular season matches - including six at Kastles stadium at the Smith Center - this summerThe former world No. 7 Fish adds six career singles titles, eight doubles titles and an Olympic silver medal to the Kastles already formidable roster.

The big-serving World No. 38 Querrey will be with the team during the first week of the season, including the first three home matches on August 1, 2 and 3. Querrey helped lead the 2015 Kastles to their fifth straight championship as the league’s top-ranked men’s doubles and second-ranked men’s singles player.

Returning Kastles from the 2015 championship team Madison Brengle, Leander Paes and Anastasia Rodionova will also be back in action this summer. The 2015 Kastles capped another championship season and maintained their perfect all-time playoff record; 12-0 since 2009. The Kastles have won five straight King Trophies as Mylan WTT champions, and six of the past seven titles.

2015 WTT breakout star and World No. 54 Brengle and Kastles veteran Rodionova will be featured in every match of the season. Meanwhile, Kastles Captain Paes, 2015 WTT Finals MVP and owner of 17 grand slam doubles titles, will return for his 8th season as a Washington Kastle, but may be called away at some point to represent his home country of India to appear in an unprecedented seventh Olympic Games.

Kastles fans will also be treated to a stellar cast of visiting players, including a trio of young American stars: Christina McHale, Donald Young and Nicole Gibbs.

McHale, a former World No. 24, captured her first WTA doubles title earlier this year and looks to carry her success into her first full WTT season as a member of the New York Empire, appearing in Washington on August 2.

The following night, Young, who was a sensation at the 2015 U.S. Open after coming from behind in three straight matches to reach the round of 16, comes to town as a member of the Philadelphia Freedoms.

Rising star and five-time NCAA All-American Gibbs will visit Washington with the Orange County Breakers on August 13. Gibbs is off to a 19-6 start to 2016 season, having reached the round of 16 at the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open in her home state of California.

The 2016 season will also be the WTT premier of two highly regarded young and rising Russian stars, Daria Kasatkina and Daria Gavrilova, representing Philadelphia and Springfield, respectively.

“The lineup for the 2016 season is something very special,” said Kastles owner Mark Ein. “I know our fans will love watching our newest teammates, Bob and Mike Bryan and Mardy Fish, alongside our returning team, including Martina Hingis, Sam Querrey and Leander Paes, fight to keep the King Trophy in Washington against a lot of very tough teams this summer. It will be an unforgettable season with six incredible home matches starting with a star-studded opener on August 1, which promises to be one of the most exciting nights in our history.”

The Kastles will begin their quest for a sixth-consecutive Mylan World TeamTennis title at an away match on July 31 where they will play the New York Empire in their first match as a new franchise. The team will have six regular season home and six away matches over the course of the first two weeks of August. The top two teams from the regular season advance to the Mylan WTT Finals presented by Citi at 4:00 PM ET on Friday, August 26, at The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, NY.

Single-match Kastles tickets go on sale later this spring. In the meantime, fans are encouraged to secure season tickets to see the Bryan brothers, Hingis, Paes, and the rest of the Kastles crew. A limited number of four-seat VIP tables and boxes are available, as well as individual seats with spectacular views in the Kastles Baseline Experience and Kastles Baseline Club. Season tickets start at $150 and can be purchased by calling 202-4-TENNIS (483-6647).

WASHINGTON KASTLES 2016 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE 
   
DATE/OPPONENT/MARQUEE PLAYER

Sunday, July 31 at New York  
Monday, August 1 vs. Springfield, Bryan Brothers & Martina Hingis (WAS)   
Tuesday, August 2 vs. New York, Martina Hingis (WAS)
Wednesday, August 3 vs. Philadelphia
Friday, August 5, at Orange County
Saturday, August 6, at San Diego
Monday, August 8 vs. New York
Tuesday, August 9 at New York, Andy Roddick (NY) 
Wednesday, August 10 vs. San Diego  
Thursday, August 11 at Philadelphia
Friday, August 12 at Springfield
Saturday, August 13 vs. Orange County

* Home contests in BOLD.

About the Washington Kastles:
Founded in 2008 by local entrepreneur Mark Ein, the Washington Kastles have won five consecutive Mylan World TeamTennis titles and six overall. In 2011 and 2012, they completed the only perfect seasons in the league's 41-year history. In 2013, Washington extended its winning streak to 34 matches, setting a new major U.S. pro sports record. The team's mission is to bring the Washington, D.C. community together, make tennis accessible to everyone in the Greater Washington area and actively support local charitable partners. To that end, the Kastles provide ticket or racquet donations to nearly 200 charitable, military and civic organizations each year and made more than $1 million of charitable contributions since 2008. Learn more about the team by visiting WashingtonKastles.com.

About Mylan World TeamTennis:
2016 marks the 41st season for Mylan World TeamTennis (WTT), the groundbreaking leader in professional team tennis competition. Mylan WTT features many of the world’s best players competing annually for the King Trophy, the league’s championship trophy named after co-founder Billie Jean King. Last summer, Mylan WTT became only the fifth major professional team sports league in the U.S. to reach a 40th season milestone.

Mylan WTT has been a pioneer in the sports world with many of the league’s modernizations recognized and adopted by others in the industry. In addition to being the first professional sports league to feature men and women competing equally on a team, Mylan WTT has showcased advancements such as no-ad and cumulative scoring, on-court coaching and playing let serves.