Victories for Hingis alongside Anastasia Rodionova and Leander Paes in the mixed and women's doubles, respectively, helped the Kastles take charge, however, it was left to World No.44 Madison Brengle to deliver the coup de grâce, feeding off a raucous home crowd to clinch the game off against Elina Svitolina with a stunning backhand winner.
"That was exciting," Brengle said. "The second-to-last ball, I started to jump the gun a little bit, but it was so exciting when I put that last point away.
"I don't think I could ask for anything better. It was so exciting and so much fun being out there. The team was so into it. The crowd was amazing. It was a really tough match. Elina played well, and I'm so happy I was able to pull it out for the team."
Handed the task of hauling Austin back from a seven-game deficit, Svitolina started well, taking the set 5-3 to trigger Extended Play. If the Ukrainian won five more games, the match would go to a super-tiebreaker. Brengle, meanwhile, needed just the one, claiming it at the first time of asking thanks to a two-fisted backhand that sliced out of Svitolina's reach.
Earlier in the day, Washington took control after Hingis' success alongside Paes and Rodionova was followed by wins in the men's doubles and singles. With the victory, Washington became the first team in World Team Tennis history, which concluded its 40th season Sunday, to win the King Trophy five times in a row. The Kastles, which also triumphed in 2009, have now equaled the Sacramento Capitals' record of six titles.
"It's just a beautiful moment to share," Paes, the match's MVP, said after collecting the trophy. "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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