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Petrova, Kastles Dominate To Set Up Season-Finale Showdown With Lasers

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Tuesday, July 21st 2009

With their season on the line, Nadia Petrova and the Washington Kastles came up with a convincing 23-12 win over the New York Buzz last night in Kastles Stadium, putting the Kastles one win away from a playoff berth. In contrast to their match the night before, the Kastles won six of seven crucial three-all points to separate themselves from the Buzz.

Perhaps because of fatigue from their late match the night before, the Kastles started off the match slowly as Alex Domijan of the Buzz defeated the Kastles' Scott Oudsema 5-3 in the men's singles event. Both players had huge serves throughout the event, but Domijan was able to break Oudsema's serve in the sixth game of the set to take a decisive lead. The win gave the Buzz, who are made up of the best junior players in the country, early confidence, but it would not last.

Next up was the men's doubles event, where Oudsema and Grand Slam winner Leander Paes took on Domijan and partner Ryan Lipman. Paes wowed the crowd with his lightening quick speed at net and crafty winners from the baseline to provide the Kastles an emotional boost and much needed momentum. The Kastles prevailed, winning 5-4 in a tiebreaker to bring the team within one game heading into mixed doubles, where Petrova made her debut.

After a rare defeat in mixed doubles Monday night in Springfield, the Kastles returned to their usual dominant form. Petrova, ranked #10 in the world in singles and #12 in doubles, made her Kastles debut joining Paes to create a dream mixed doubles pairing. Petrova and Paes completely controlled the set from start to finish, beating their opponents 5-0. Petrova lived up to her billing and dazzled the crowd displaying power and precision to keep her opponents on their heels. She also showed off her signature smile and clearly was enjoying her debut in a Kastles uniform. The Kastles duo was so dominant that Buzz coach Roger Smith substituted each of his players midway through the event.

With a comfortable 13-9 lead at halftime, Petrova faced off against Sloane Stephens in the women's singles set. This matchup proved to be one of the most enjoyable of the season as Petrova and junior superstar Sloan slugged it out from the baseline with a dizzying array of shots that led to long rallies and scintillating points. In the end, Petrova proved to be too much, defeating Stephens 5-3.

The final event of the match, women's doubles, saw Petrova and Grand Slam winner Rennae Stubbs make quick work of Stephens and local product Beatrice Capra. The combination of two of the best doubles players in the world was overpowering as the Kastles shutout the Buzz 5-0 to provide the final 23-12 winning margin. Petrova was the superstar of the night, posting an unbelievable 15-3 record during her three events.

Coach Murphy Jensen summed up the importance of the much-awaited match up with the Lasers, saying "Tomorrow's the biggest night of our season." With so much on the line, tonight's match at 7 p.m. promises to be an unforgettable night of tennis in the nation's capital.

Tags: tennis, kastles

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