Venus, Serena Williams, Kastles Team to Beat as WTT Enters Final Week

The three-week long World TeamTennis season concludes this weekend with the Semifinals and Finals in Charleston, S.C., and at 10-0, the Washington Kastles, led by Venus and Serena Williams, are the clear favorites to unseat the Kansas City Explorers as league champion. 

Serena has a 10-4 singles record (measured in games) and Venus a 9-7 mark so far as the Kastles have secured the No. 1 seed for the Friday-Sunday finals at the site of the Family Circle Cup.  But Washington's marquee players have been just part of the team's success, as popular veteran doubles specialist Leander Paes leads the league in both men's doubles and mixed doubles victories and teammate Bobby Reynolds, in addition to teaming with Paes for each of the men's doubles triumphs, has a league-high 44 men's singles victories.

The Kastles put their unbeaten string on the line this week with two matchups against last year's Eastern Conference champion New York Sportimes, who they edged by a single point last week in Washington, D.C.  On Tuesday, the teams meet in Albany, N.Y, the Sportimes' alternate home venue, then on Wednesday on Randall's Island in New York.  Serena Williams will battle New York's Martina Hingis both nights.

Though Washington's spot is secure, the other three playoff spots are very much up for grabs, with New York (6-5) and Boston (5-6) battling for the remaining Eastern Conference spot and four teams still in the running for the two Western Conference berths, including the Kansas City Explorers (6-4), Sacramento Capitals (6-4), St. Louis Aces (5-5) and Springfield Lasers (4-7).

Several key matchups this week will go a long way in determining those final spots, including a "home and home" between Sacramento and Springfield on Tuesday and Thursday and St. Louis at Kansas City on Wednesday.

The Kastles will play in the  WTT Eastern Conference Championship on July 22 at 7 p.m. ET.  The WTT Western Conference Championship will be held on July 23 at 5 p.m.  The winners of the Eastern and Western Conference Championships will face off in the WTT Final on July 24 at 5 p.m., aired live on Tennis Channel.  This year marks the 36th season of World TeamTennis.