Bryan Brothers Join the
Washington Kastles' Quest for
a 6th Straight Title
Mardy Fish joins Hingis, Paes, Querrey, Brengle and Rodionova as the team competes for an historic 7th overall WTT title
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The 2016 Washington Kastles roster has been set after the completion of the 2016 WTT Draft today and the team is back and better than ever. Bob and Mike Bryan as well as Mardy Fish have joined the Kastles along with a cast of tremendous talent, including Martina Hingis, Leander Paes, Mardy Fish, Sam Querrey, Anastasia Rodionova, and Madison Brengle. Coach Murphy Jensen will lead the team as it attempts to claim another trophy over the World TeamTennis competition.
This year, the Kastles look to defend their 2015 title and claim their 6th straight and 7th overall World TeamTennis championship after beating the Austin Aces 24-18 in the title match last year. The Kastles have won the title each year since 2011 as well as in 2009 and are looking to add yet another victory to the mix.
After completing a trade to move up in the Marquee Player portion of the WTT draft, Kastles' owner Mark Ein was able to secure the winningest doubles team of all time, Bob and Mike Bryan, to join one of the winningest WTT teams of all times in the Kastles. The Bryans will be playing World TeamTennis for the first time in Washington, D.C. on August 1st, which is the day before they join the United States Olympic team for the trip to Rio.
The Bryans have won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, over 100 ATP tournament titles and the 2012 Olympic gold medal. Bob has claimed seven mixed doubles major titles while Mike has four. The brothers have played in 13 WTT seasons prior to this season.
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| | The Bryan brothers are joining the Kastles for the first time. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA) |
"We are so pumped to join the Kastles and help them win a sixth straight championship," Bob Bryan said following Friday's Mylan WTT Draft. "The entire Washington community has embraced the team and we know the atmosphere in their stadium is unreal. We can't wait to play there on August 1st."
Along with the Bryans, veteran Kastles players are returning to the team in a bid for an historic 8th WTT title. The first is Hall of Famer Hingis, who is currently the women's top doubles player (with partner Sania Mirza).
Former singles No. 1 Hingis kicked off the year by claiming the Australian Open title in doubles as well as wins in Sydney and St. Petersburg and she enjoyed a 41-match winning streak that started at the US Open and ended just last month at the Qatar Open. She also had a huge number of wins in 2015, claiming doubles titles at the WTA Finals, the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, Beijing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Charleston, Miami and Indian Wells.
In addition, Hingis teamed up with Paes to win three Grand Slam mixed doubles events, including at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
She's been one of the most successful WTT players of all time over the years, having claimed the title of WTT Finals MVP in 2014 as well as the female MVP in 2012 and 2013. She's set to compete for the Kastles before heading to the Olympics in Rio to represent Switzerland.
" I am thrilled to come back for my fourth season with the Kastles . Playing alongside my teammates under Murphy's leadership and in front of our Washington fans has been an incredible experience," said Hingis. "Washington feels like a second home to me. I can't wait to bring home another King Trophy." |
| | In 2015, Leander Paes and Martina Hingis teamed up to win three major titles in mixed doubles. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA) |
Paes, meanwhile, comes off a strong showing to end last year's WTT season. The Kastles captain was named the Finals MVP. On Tour , he's claimed 17 major titles in doubles and has been ranked No.1 in the world.
"It's just a beautiful moment to share," Paes said after winning the title in 2015. "I've had a really long career and done some really special things, and this is way up there with the best of them. I'd like to dedicate this MVP award to every single Kastles member, not only on the court but behind the scenes and every single Kastles fan."
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| | Coach Murphy Jensen seeks to lead the Kastles to a 6th straight title. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA) |
Hingis, Paes, the Bryan brothers are joined by one of the greatest Americans to play in recent years: Mardy Fish. A former world No.7, Fish claimed six singles titles on the ATP Tour as well as eight in doubles.
Fish is playing his sixth season of World TeamTennis and use his veteran status and skills in singles and doubles to help lead the team to another title.
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| | American Mardy Fish joins the Bryan brothers on the Kastles squad for the first time. (Photo Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA) |
The Bryans, Hingis, Paes and Fish are just a few of the exceptional athletes on the Kastles roster in 2016. Those champions are joined by a slate of talented Kastles teammates, including Querrey, Brengle and Rodionova,
Sam Querrey looks to win his second straight title with the Kastles after a successful 2015 bid. This will be his fifth season playing World TeamTennis. Querrey started the year with a win at Delray Beach for his 8th career ATP singles title.
The American, who has been ranked as high as No.17 in the world, advanced to the semifinals of Acapulco and Memphis in 2016. In doubles, he advanced to the final at Acapulco with partner Steve Johnson.
His doubles performance improved as a result of his play with the Kastles in 2015. In fact, he advanced to the 2015 U.S. Open mixed doubles final with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, losing to fellow Kastles players Hingis and Paes. He also made the men's doubles semis with Johnson at the event.
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| | Sam Querrey is playing his second season for the Kastles. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Cameraworks USA) |
Rodionova has been a Kastles stalwart, claiming titles with the team from 2012 to 2015. Last year, she was the Female Co-MVP for the league due to her superb play throughout the season.
In 2016, Rodionova made a run to the Australian Open quarterfinals in doubles with partner Arina Rodionova, her sister and a former member of the Kastles. In March, Rodionova made the finals of San Antonio in doubles.
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Anastasia Rodionova joins the Kastles for her fifth season. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA)
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Then there's Brengle, who's been ranked as high as No. 35 in the world and who has started 2016 on a tear with a win over Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova at Dubai where she advanced to the quarterfinals.
But that's not all: Brengle is currently in the third round at the Miami Open and made it to that round at the Australian Open in January. She lost to eventual champion Angelique Kerber, a Top 10 player.
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| | Madison Brengle helped clinch the Kastles' 5th straight title last season. (Photo: Fred Mullane/Camerawork USA) |
"The 2016 team is a perfect mix of our Kastles fans favorites with the addition of some incredible new players," said Kastles owner Mark Ein. "The core of the 2015 team-which was probably our best lineup ever-is returning, and we have added the greatest doubles team of all time in the Bryan brothers. This team is built to win a championship and make our community proud."
The Mylan WTT Finals will be held on August 27, 2016. For complete draft results, please visit WTT.com.
The Kastles' complete 2016 schedule will be released early next month. In the meantime, season tickets to see the Kastles' quest for a 7th WTT title are on sale now starting at $150. |
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