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US Open Series launches next week

July 20, 2017

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – The 14th season of the US Open Series, the five-week North American summer tennis season that links seven WTA and ATP World Tour summer hard court tournaments to the US Open, launches next week with the men’s BB&T Atlanta Open. Since its inception in 2004, the US Open Series has increased television viewership with a cohesive schedule, while also increasing attendance and generating new corporate partnerships for its tournaments. In addition, the Series will continue to engage its local tournament communities with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots clinics and activities involving the USTA’s new youth tennis brand – Net Generation.

In total, 70 hours of live national television coverage is scheduled to air on ESPN2, nearly 140 hours of live match coverage on ESPN3 and more than 80 hours of live national television coverage on Tennis Channel. This includes weeklong coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN3 from the BB&T Atlanta Open, Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Winston-Salem Open and the Connecticut Open in New Haven, as well as Thursday through Sunday coverage on ESPN2 from the Rogers Cup in Montreal (men) and Toronto (women), and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. In addition, beIN Sports will feature WTA coverage of Toronto, while Tennis Channel will have ATP World Tour coverage at Montreal and Cincinnati.

For the second consecutive year, 34 days of coverage — every day of the US Open Series — will air across ESPN’s platforms and on Tennis Channel. The Series premieres on ESPN2 on Saturday, July 29, from the Atlanta Open with the semifinals at 3:00 p.m. ET and 7:00 p.m. ET, followed by the final on Sunday, July 30 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Earlier in the week, ESPN3 will begin coverage from Atlanta with early round matches on Monday, July 24 beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET. See the full summer TV schedule at usopenseries.com/watch/

The impressive roster of television talent covering the 2017 US Open Series season includes: ESPN’s Jimmy Arias, Darren Cahill, Chris Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler, Brad Gilbert, Jason Goodall, Sam Gore, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver and Rennae Stubbs; Tennis Channel’s Paul Annacone, Tracy Austin, James Blake, Lindsay Davenport, Justin Gimelstob, Brett Haber, Mark Knowles, Ted Robinson, Chanda Rubin, Leif Shiras and Steve Weissman.

The US Open Series season will once again be supported by the “Serving up the Best of Summer” marketing campaign, which highlights the ways in which fans can celebrate summer at each Series event. The campaign will roll out across a variety of media, including television, print, online and social media — helping to drive ticket sales and viewership. Fans can join the conversation by using hashtag #USOpenSeries and by following @usopen. Fans can share their experiences at US Open Series tournaments using hashtag #MyUSOpenSeries.

All US Open Series events will utilize the “Emirates Review” – a “3 plus 1” player challenge system for electronic line calling. The US Open Series is also supported by American Express, Citizen Watch Company and Deloitte.

“In collaboration with the WTA and ATP World Tour, the US Open Series has evolved over the years into representing everything great about this sport — world-class champions, rising stars, multiple television and digital viewing platforms, an immersive “event” onsite tournament experience for fans, along with a multitude of clinics and activities with pro players that will ultimately help make the game more accessible and enjoyable for more people.” said J. Wayne Richmond, USTA Managing Director, Major Events. “The introduction of the Net Generation youth tennis brand this year takes center stage to engage local communities to help ensure a bright future for the sport of tennis.”