Kastles win fifth straight World TeamTennis title  

The Washington Kastles extended their dominance in World TeamTennis for another year by winning a record fifth consecutive Mylan World TeamTennis championship on Sunday, defeating the Austin Aces in the final, 24-18.

The final took place at the Kastles Stadium at the Smith Center of George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Led by doubles world No. 1 Martina Hingis (second from left) and 17-time Grand Slam doubles champion Leander Paes (second from right), the Kastles won four of the five sets played and never relinquished their early lead.

“It’s just a beautiful moment to share,” said Paes, who was named the Finals MVP. “I’ve had a really long career and done some really special things, and this is way up there with the best of them.”

Hingis and Paes opened up the night with a 5-2 victory in mixed doubles over Alla Kudryavtseva and Teymuraz Gabashvili. Hingis then went right back on court with Anastasia Rodionova (far right) to tough out a 5-4 win in women’s doubles over Kudryavtseva and Elina Svitolina.

Paes then continued his red-hot form with Sam Querrey (center) in the men’s doubles, securing a 5-3 win over Gabashvili and Jarmere Jenkins. Querrey then added even further padding onto the Kastles’ lead by defeating Gabashvili in men’s singles, 5-4.

The Kastles led by 20-13 going into the final match of the night in women’s singles. Svitolina recorded a 5-3 win over Kastles member Madison Brengle (far left), sending the match into overtime. Svitolina would have needed to win six straight games to pull off the miraculous comeback, but a backhand winner by Brengle on her first championship point clinched the title for the Kastles.

It was the sixth overall championship for the Kastles, tying the mark set by the Sacramento Capitals in 2007.