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Raonic clinches US Open series

Canada’s Milos Raonic clinched the 2014 Emirates Airline US Open Series Men’s Bonus Challenge title today with John Isner’s withdrawal from the Winston-Salem Open in Winston-Salem, N.C., due to a left ankle injury. Raonic will now compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the US Open - $4 million ($3 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open as Emirates Airline US Open Series champion).

Raonic finished with 280 Bonus Challenge points because of the new provision that rewards players who earn points in at least three Emirates Airline US Open Series events by doubling their Bonus Challenge point total. He won the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., advanced to the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and reached the quarterfinals at Rogers Cup in Toronto.

“It is very exciting to win the Emirates Airline US Open Series Bonus Challenge before heading into the US Open,” Raonic said. “To be a North American winning it is a huge honor for me since one of my results came in my hometown of Toronto. It’s a great place to be and now I’m setting my sights on having a great tournament next week in New York. It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point and I’m looking to keep improving my results at the Open.”

Isner finished in second place in the Series standings for the second consecutive year, with 200 points, after reaching the quarterfinals in Winston-Salem. Isner could have overtaken Raonic for first place by winning the Winston-Salem Open title. Roger Federer clinched third place in the Men’s Bonus Challenge.

Serena Williams clinched the 2014 Emirates Airline US Open Series women’s title last Saturday by defeating Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Open. Williams has now won the Emirates Airline US Open Series women’s title three of the last four years and is the only women to win the Series title more than once. Angelique Kerber and Agnieszka Radwanska clinched second and third place, respectively, in the Women’s Bonus Challenge.

Last year, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams won both the Emirates Airline US Open Series title and the US Open, taking home a record $3.6 million - $2.6 million for winning the US Open and an additional $1 million as Emirates Airline US Open Series Champion.

Now in its 11th season, the Emirates Airline US Open Series continues to serve as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking eight summer tournaments to the US Open. Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams won the 2013 US Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series men’s and women’s titles, each earning a record tennis paycheck of $3.6 million. Roger Federer (2007) and Kim Clijsters (2005) also accomplished the feat of winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series and US Open singles title within the same year.

Posted on August 21, 2014
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