Just announced by ESPN and the United States Tennis Association, ESPN2 will air 68 hours of the U.S. Open Series, a group of hard-court tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open in August. And while ESPN2 will mostly air weekend coverage including the semifinals and finals, ESPN3 will carry the early round matches. Tennis Channel which used to air the early rounds and doubles finals will no longer be involved in the U.S. Open Series as it will no longer be involved in airing the U.S. Open.
So for fans who are used to watching an entire week of tennis from Cincinnati, Toronto, Montreal or New Haven, they’ll have to watch the early rounds online on WatchESPN through their mobiles, tablets, computers or desktop devices such as Apple TV or Roku.
In order to watch the tennis on WatchESPN, your cable or satellite provider will have had to make an agreement with ESPN to allow you to sign onto the app. Major cable and satellite providers such as Comcast, DirecTV, Dish and others have streaming agreements in place for WatchESPN.
It all begins this Monday, July 27 from the Atlanta Open which is an ATP Tour stop.
Here’s the announcement from ESPN:
@ESPNTennis: US Open Series Now Exclusive to ESPN2, ESPN3
Road to US Open: 68 Hours on ESPN2, Eight Championships – Four ATP, Four WTA
ESPN3’s Daily Coverage of Every Event Starts Monday in Atlanta
Serena Williams to Lead Top Fields in Toronto, Cincinnati
Points System Rewards Top Players at US OpenTennis’ US Open Series – eight hard-court events (four ATP, three WTA, one combined) across North America in five weeks – is now exclusive to ESPN, with 68 hours on ESPN2 and extensive weeklong ESPN3 coverage of each event beginning Monday, July 27, with the ATP BB&T Open in Atlanta.
WatchESPN will deliver the ESPN2 telecasts, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the award-winning WatchESPN app, and streamed on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV to more than 93 million households nationwide via an affiliated video or internet provider.
The schedule is highlighted by back-to-back weeks where all the top players are expected, including Serena Williams as she aims for a possible calendar year Grand Slam at the US Open – the Rogers Cup in Canada (women in Toronto, men in Montreal) concluding Sunday, August 16, and the ATP/WTA Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati concluding Sunday, Aug. 23.
A points system rewards the men and women who finish in the top three for the USOS with a bonus based on their performance in the US Open. If the USOS winner also is the US Open champion, they receive a bonus of $1,000,000. ESPN’s first-ever exclusive coverage of the US Open begins Monday, Aug. 31.
WEEK ONE
ATP BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta
- ESPN3 with 30 hours, ESPN2 with four including the championship Sunday, Aug. 2, at 3 p.m. ET.
WEEK TWO
WTA Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, Calif.
- ESPN3 with 44 hours, ESPN2 with six including the championship Sunday, Aug. 9, at 5 p.m.
WEEK THREE
ATP / WTA Rogers Cup, Toronto (women), Montreal (men)
- ESPN3 with more than 170 hours, ESPN2 with 20 including the championships Sunday, Aug. 16, at 1 p.m. (WTA) and 3 p.m. (ATP)
WEEK FOUR
ATP / WTA Western & Southern Open, Cincinnati
- ESPN3 with more than 220 hours, ESPN2 with 28 including all four semifinals, plus the championships Sunday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. (ATP) and 3 p.m. (WTA)
WEEK FIVE
ATP Winston-Salem Open, Winston-Salem, N.C.
- ESPN3 with 32 hours, ESPN2 with four including the championship Saturday, Aug. 29 at 1 p.m.
WTA Connecticut Open, New Haven, Conn.
- ESPN3 with 34 hours, ESPN2 with six, including both semifinals, plus the championship Saturday, Aug. 29, at 3 p.m.
That will do it.
