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US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: A Very Fatigued Serena. Tsonga And Blake Advance

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

A very fatigued Serena Williams rests after her defeat of Lucie Hradecka, CZE.


Too much too soon?

"I'm going to have to figure that out," responded Serena with regard to whether she is overplaying. "Nothing against Cincinnati or Toronto or the Stanfords that I've played, but everyone is preparing for the U.S. Open. I have to be smart and make sure it's not too much."

Serena is currently topping the U.S. Open Series Leaderboard with 170 points, having won the last two titles. On Tueday at the Western and Southern Open, Cincinnati, Ohio, she began to rack up even more points with a first-round-straight-sets win over the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecka, 3-6, 6-7 (5).

At the same time, the match took a gradual toll on Serena that was very evident in her play and body language as well. It appeared towards the end of the second set that she would either be withdrawing, or calling for the trainer. In typical Serena fashion though, neither occurred -- she trudged along and found a way to win.

Hopefully a good night's rest will do the trick for play on Wednesday... wouldn't want to see her have to drop out of the Series -- and definitely not the U.S. Open!


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga used a powerful serve and a spotless return game to pick up his first career win at the Western & Southern Open, 6-3, 6-4 over Marin Cilic in the first round on Tuesday.

Serving near 130 mph, Tsonga hit nine aces and took advantage of more than 20 unforced errors by Cilic. "It was really a fluid match," Tsonga said. "Like everything was easy for me today, to serve and everything."

"This morning in warmups, I was feeling really good," said Tsonga, who has been battling an arm injury. "And during the match I felt really good."

After beating Cilic for the first time in his career, Tsonga next will play qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr. in the second round today or Thursday.


American wild card James Blake will meet Switzerland's Roger Federer in a repeat of the 2007 Cincinnati final. Federer holds a 9-1 record against the former World No. 4, with his only loss coming in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Blake, who currently stands at No. 84 in the South African Airways 2011 ATP Rankings, comfortably rolled past Italian Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in 58 minutes as he converted three of his five break points.






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US OPEN SERIES W&S OPEN: Blake Opens Cincinnati Quest With A Win Over Baghdatis

Monday, August 15, 2011

  
American James Blake during post-match interview


James Blake, a Cincinnati singles finalist in ’07 and an ’02 doubles titlist with Todd Martin, defeated Marcos Baghdatis in a rematch of their Wimbledon first round meeting. The veteran Blake, who’s been ranked as high as No. 4 in the world back in ‘06, advanced to the second round 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

For Blake, the win over Baghdatis allowed him to exact revenge after suffering a loss to the Cypriot at Wimbledon earlier this summer. In that match, the Baghdatis won 6-4 6-2 6-7(5) 4-6 6-4.

 
Blake cited increased confidence as one factor in the role reversal this time around.
The American continued that the court surface attributed to the positive result. "Since I lost to [Baghdatis] at Wimbledon, I’ve been playing well," he said. "I feel really good about being back on the hard courts. The summer swing is always my favorite part of the year; it’s where I have my most success."


Up next for the American will be the winner between the No. 14 seed and 2011 Sydney finalist Viktor Troicki and Fabio Fognini, who’s currently enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 64. Earlier this year, the Italian advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open in his best ever showing at a major.




Source: cincytennis.com

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Olympus US Open Series Standings Through August 14, 2011

 

2011 Men's Standings


 Place  Player  Points  
1 Mardy Fish (USA)  185
2 Novak Djokovic (SRB)  100
3 Ernests Gulbis (LAT)  85
T-4 John Isner (USA)  70
Gael Monfils (FRA)  70
Radek Stepanek (CZE)  70
7 Janko Tipsarevic (SRB)  60
8 Ryan Harrison (USA)  50
9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)  45
T-10 Kevin Anderson (RSA)  30
Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE)  30
Viktor Troicki (SRB)  30
T-13 Nicolas Almagro (ESP)  25
Tomas Berdych (CZE)  25
Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA)  25
Gilles Muller (LUX)  25
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)  25
Donald Young (USA)  25
T-19 Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)  15
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)  15
Marin Cilic (CRO)  15
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)  15
Somdev Devvarman (IND)  15
Ivan Dodig (CRO)  15
Roger Federer (SUI)  15
Richard Gasquet (FRA)  15
Ivo Karlovic (CRO)  15
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)  15
Rajeev Ram (USA)  15
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)  15
   

2011 Women's Standings


 Place   Player   Points     
1 Serena Williams (USA)  170
2 Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)  130
3 Samantha Stosur (AUS)  70
4 Vera Zvonareva (RUS)  60
5 Andrea Petkovic (GER)  50
T-6 Victoria Azarenka (BLR)  45
Marion Bartoli (FRA)  45
T-8 Ana Ivanovic (SRB)  40
Sabine Lisicki (GER)  40
10 Maria Sharapova (RUS)  30
T-11
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)  25
Lucie Safarova (CZE)  25
Roberta Vinci (ITA)  25
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)  25
T-15 Marina Erakovic (NZL)  15
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)  15
Petra Kvitova (CZE)  15
Na Li (CHN)  15
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)  15
Ayumi Morita (JPN)  15
Shuai Peng (CHN)  15
Francesca Schiavone (ITA)  15
Sloane Stephens (USA)  15
Jie Zheng (CHN)  15

Standings through Week 4




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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: The Serena Sensation Surges On As She Earns 2011 Rogers Cup Title

American Serena Williams celebrates immediately after winning point that earned her the 2011 Rogers Cup title.


Ten years after winning her first Rogers Cup presented by National Bank title, Serena Williams once again lifted the trophy of Canada's most important tennis tournament.

A lot has changed for the 13-time Grand Slam champion in the decade gone by, but one thing is still for certain - she sure is one impressive tennis player.

Williams won the title on Sunday in emphatic fashion, nailing an ace at match point to defeat Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2.

Though the contest was evenly matched through the first eight games, the American turned it up a notch to break at 4-4 and never looked back. She was dominant in the second set, ripping seven aces while losing just one first service point.

It was clear the championship meant a lot to her, as upon clinching victory she immediately jumped and spun around in elation. In her post-match press conference she talked about how Toronto was definitely a tournament she had targeted as an event she really wanted to win this year.

With her mission now accomplished and her 39th career title in her pocket, the 29-year-old should move up nearly 50 spots in the rankings to around the No. 35 spot.


Though Stosur's tournament ended with a loss, her successful week should help her gain confidence heading into the final Slam of the season. Prior to coming to Toronto, the Australian had lost in her opening round twice in a row, but she turned it around here and improved her play with each match up to the final.

Her performance means she'll move back into the Top 10 after spending just one week outside of the upper echelon of the sport. If she keeps it up, she'll definitely be in the conversation at the final Slam of the season.


With the entertaining final between Williams and Stosur now over, Rogers Cup wraps up a successful week of tennis. Though the back-end of the tournament was lacking in the star power provided by such players like Kim Clijsters, who retired in the second round, Maria Sharapova, who was a third-round dropout, and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki who fell in her opening match, Williams shines brighter than almost anyone on the tour.

She now has two titles in just four tournaments played since her return to tennis following a year-long absence due to serious health issues, and both of those triumphs occurred on hard courts. She will no doubt be a huge threat at the US Open in two weeks times.

For now, the pair will head to the next tournament in Cincinnati, where a Rogers Cup re-match could occur in the second round as Stosur and Williams were drawn in the same quarter.


Photos by Getty Images
Source:  rogerscup.com




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Olympus US Open Series Standings Through August 12, 2011

Saturday, August 13, 2011


2011 Men's Standings


  Place  Player  Points   
1 Mardy Fish* (USA)  160
2 Ernests Gulbis (LAT)  85
T-3 John Isner (USA)  70
Gael Monfils (FRA)  70
Radek Stepanek (CZE)  70
6 Janko Tipsarevic* (SRB)  60
7 Ryan Harrison (USA)  50
T-8 Novak Djokovic* (SRB)  45
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga* (FRA)  45
T-10 Kevin Anderson (RSA)  30
Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE)  30
Viktor Troicki (SRB)  30
T-13 Nicolas Almagro (ESP)  25
Tomas Berdych (CZE)  25
Alex Bogomolov Jr. (USA)  25
Gilles Muller (LUX)  25
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)  25
Donald Young (USA)  25
T-19 Marcos Baghdatis (CYP)  15
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)  15
Marin Cilic (CRO)  15
Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)  15
Somdev Devvarman (IND)  15
Ivan Dodig (CRO)  15
Roger Federer (SUI)  15
Richard Gasquet (FRA)  15
Ivo Karlovic (CRO)  15
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS)  15
Rajeev Ram (USA)  15
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)  15
   

2011 Women's Standings

 

 Place   Player   Points      
1 Agnieszka Radwanska* (POL)  130
2 Serena Williams* (USA)  115
3 Vera Zvonareva (RUS)  60
4 Andrea Petkovic (GER)  50
T-5 Victoria Azarenka* (BLR)  45
Marion Bartoli (FRA)  45
Samantha Stosur* (AUS)  45
T-8 Ana Ivanovic (SRB)  40
Sabine Lisicki (GER)  40
10 Maria Sharapova (RUS)  30
T-11
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)  25
Lucie Safarova (CZE)  25
Roberta Vinci (ITA)  25
Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ)  25
T-15 Marina Erakovic (NZL)  15
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK)  15
Petra Kvitova (CZE)  15
Na Li (CHN)  15
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (ESP)  15
Ayumi Morita (JPN)  15
Shuai Peng (CHN)  15
Francesca Schiavone (ITA)  15
Sloane Stephens (USA)  15
Jie Zheng (CHN)  15


 Standings through Friday, August 12


NOTES:
Men: * Indicates a player has advanced to the semifinals of this week's Rogers Cup in Montreal, Canada

NOTE: Those who advance to the final will earn an additional 25 points
Women: * Indicates a player had advanced to the semifinals of this week's Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada

NOTE: Those who advance to the final will earn an additional 25 points





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(PHOTOS) AROUND THE NET: Sloane Stephens And Her Wonderful Smile In Carlsbad

American Sloane Stephens in Carlsbad, California for the Olympus US Open Series Mercury Insurance Open earlier this month.
 








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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Tsonga Chalks Up Quarterfinal Win, Awaits Djokovic In Semis

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga after his win over Spain's Nicolas Almagro


(L-R) Nicolas Almagro and Tsonga
A day after knocking out two-time Rogers Cup champion Roger Federer, Tsonga delivered another strong performance, dismissing the eighth-seeded Almagro in one hour and 28 minutes.

The Frenchman won 70 per cent of his service points, and saved three break points in the final game to lock up the quarter-final win. The victory increased Tsonga’s undefeated record against Almagro to a 5-0 mark. "I was a bit tired today. I lacked energy. The match yesterday took a lot of stamina, and today my energy level was low," admitted Tsonga. "Therefore, I decided to focus on only a number of return games and try to focus on holding my serve. It was a way for me to save the energy I had left, not playing hard every game."

 
Tsonga is into the semi-finals for the second time at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Canada, after reaching the final four in Montreal two years ago. The 26 year old is looking to win his first title in 2011, having finished runner-up in Rotterdam (l. to Soderling) and the AEGON Championships in London (l. to Murray). Tsonga's biggest title to date came on home soil, when he claimed the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris three years ago (d. Nalbandian).

The World No. 16 and Djokovic have met eight times, and Tsonga holds a 5-3 edge. Djokovic won their most recent meeting, defeating the Frenchman in four sets in the Wimbledon semi-finals. "The last match was very close, very intense, very important for both of us," Djokovic said. "He's been playing better in last couple of months. I think he increased his level. He's and all around player. He can play pretty well on all surfaces. He has a big serve. If he serves well, he can beat anybody. He showed that in previous couple of tournaments.

"So it's going to be tough one. It's a fast surface. I need to return well and hope that I can get some chances."



Photos by Getty Images
Source

 

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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Serena "Don't Call It A Comeback" Williams Into Semifinals

American Serena Williams during quarterfinal match against the Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova


Lucie Safarova, CZE
 (Reuters) - A battle-tested Serena Williams booked her spot in the semi-finals of the Toronto Cup on Friday after overcoming a sluggish start to grind out a 4-6 6-3 6-2 win over Czech Lucie Safarova.

Williams, whose 11-month layoff with injury and health problems ended in June, was a shadow of herself in the first set but rallied with raw power and shot-making to wrap up the match without losing serve in the last two sets.

"I could have had a better chance in the first set but I lost some key points," Williams, who won the Stanford Classic last month and is on a nine-match winning streak, told reporters.

"It was all about maybe one or two points here that would've made a difference and some silly double faults that didn't make sense."


 
The third set went with serve until Williams broke world number 32 Safarova in an intense fifth game in which she unleashed several loud screams to get herself going.

The vocal strategy seemed to pay off as she wrapped up the match without conceding another game.

The former world number one, unseeded here because of her long layoff, faces her toughest test yet against Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, who has not lost a set en route to the semi-finals and is the highest seeded player left in the draw.

Azarenka ended Kazakh qualifier Galina Voskoboeva's surprise run with a clinical 6-1 6-2 victory.



Photos by Getty Images


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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Gael Monfils Continues To Stack Up Losses Against World No. 1

World No. 7 Gael Monfils, France, waves to the crowd as he exits after losing to Djokovic.


World No. 1 Novak Djokovic improved to 7-0 against Gael Monfils, overwhelming the No. 5 seed 6-2, 6-1 in the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Friday evening. He will square off against 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals, as Tsonga advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 8 seed Nicolas Almagro.

After facing a break point in the opening game, it was smooth sailing for the Serbian. Monfils held to get to 2-2, but Djokovic reeled off nine consecutive games to put the match out of the Frenchman’s hands. Monfils fought in the final game, creating two break point opportunities, but the top seed closed the door to seal the victory in one hour and 14 minutes. "I have played the best match of the tournament, no doubt. Everything was going well," said Djokovic. "I had a difficult game on two-all to hold my serve. After that, when I made the first break, it was incredible. 9, 10 games in a row. I'm happy to see my game is progressing each day."


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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Draw



WOMEN'S SINGLES


Round 1


Serena Williams, USA defeated Alona Bondarenko, UKR
6-0, 6-3

Round 2

Serena Williams, USA defeated Julia Goerges, GER
6-1, 7-6(7)

Round 3

Serena Williams, USA defeated Jie Zheng(Q), CHN
4-6, 6-3, 6-3

Quarterfinal Round

Serena Williams, USA defeated Lucie Safarova, CZE
4-6, 6-3, 6-2

Semifinal Round

Serena Williams, USA vs. Victoria Azarenka, BLR


WOMEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated
Barbara Zahlalova Strycova, CZE and Iveta Benesova, CZE
3-6, 7-5, 10-7

Round 2

Raquel Kops-Jones, USA and Abigail Spears, USA
defeated by
Su-Wei Hsieh, TPE and Galina Voskoboeva, KAZ
4-6, 7-6(4), 5-10


Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Heather Watson, GBR
Stephanie Foretz Gacon, FRA


MEN'S SINGLES

Round 1

Gael Monfils (5) FRA, vs. BYE

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Fabio Fognini,ITA
6-4, 7-6(0)

Round 2

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Alex Bogomolov, Jr. (Q), USA
6-2, 7-6(5)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Bernard Tomic (WC), AUS
6-3, 7-6(1)

Round 3

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated Viktor Troicki (12), SRB
3-6, 7-6(0), 7-6(5)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Roger Federer (3), SUI
7-6(3), 4-6, 6-1

Quarterfinal Round

Gael Monfils (5), FRA defeated by Novak Djokovic (1), SRB
2-6, 1-6

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA defeated Nicolas Almagro, ESP
6-4, 6-4

Semifinal Round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13), FRA vs. Novak Djokovic (1), SRB


MEN'S DOUBLES

Round 1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
defeated
Alexander Dolgopolov, UKR and Dick Norman, VEL
6-2, 6-4

Gael Monfils, FRA and Pablo Andujar, ESP
defeated by
Sergiy Stakhovsky, UKR and Mikhail Youzhny, RUS
3-6, 5-7

Round 2

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
defeated
Robert Lindstedt, SWE and Horia Tecau, ROU
6-4, 6-3

Round 3


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, FRA and Stanislas Wawrinka, SUI
vs.
Max Mirnyi, BLR and Daniel Nestor, CAN

Eliminated during singles qualifying rounds:

Nicholas Monroe, USA


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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: Venus Williams Withdraws Due To Viral Illness

Monday, August 8, 2011

Venus Williams at 1st Annual Hall Of Game Awards Hosted By The Cartoon Network in February 2011.


TORONTO — Venus Williams withdrew from the WTA Tour's Rogers Cup starting on Monday because of illness, according to organizers.

Williams said she wasn't feeling well and consulted a doctor on Sunday.

She was diagnosed with a viral illness and said she was "extremely disappointed" she won't be able to play in Toronto.

Qualifier Zhang Shuai of China steps into Williams' first-round match Tuesday against former world number one Ana Ivanovic of Serbia.

Lourdes Dominguez Lino got the extra berth in the draw.

The strong Rogers Cup field still includes Williams' sister, Serena, and world number one Caroline Wozniacki, No. 2 Kim Clijsters and No. 5 Maria Sharapova.

Serena Williams, who missed 11 months with a string of health problems, returned in June and won the WTA title in Stanford in late July.

Venus Williams, ranked 34th in the world, has had a disappointing season hampered by hip and abdominal injuries.

"I was really excited to play Toronto," Venus Williams said in a statement. "I came here ready to go and was practicing. I wasn't feeling very well and had to see the doctor today.

"I was diagnosed with a viral illness and unfortunately am unable to play. I am extremely disappointed. I'm very sorry to the fans and tournament."

The talent-laden Toronto tournament is a tuneup for the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open that starts on August 29 in New York.




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US OPEN SERIES LEGG MASON: Fatigue And A Well-Rested Crafty Stepanek Defeat Monfils In Final

Frenchman Gael Monfils showing great frustration in Legg Mason final.




WASHINGTON DC - Seventh-ranked Monfils, in his first US final and his first final of any kind since last year's Paris Masters, fell to 3-11 in ATP title matches, foiled in a bid for his first outdoor hardcourt crown and fourth career title.


"To be honest, I'm unlucky," Monfils said of his finals failure rate.

Monfils, who never managed a break point against Stepanek, also said he was a bit tired after his rain-hit semi-final finished only 14 hours before the final started.

"But when you step on the court you forget about this," Monfils said.

Stepanek came to the net for 29 of his 57 points. While connecting on only 37 percent of his first serves, he won 90 percent of those points, including all 12 in the final set, and took 63 percent of second-serve points.

"He didn't miss much," Monfils said. "I was a fraction slower as well. I couldn't hit many passing shots. He played a great match."

Fromn the start, Stepanek moved to keep Monfils on the defensive.

"I wanted to be in control," Stepanek said. "If I was going to go for it or miss it I wanted to decide all the points. It was my game plan to be aggressive and attack when I can. I was in control from the first point to the last."

Stepanek broke Monfils with a backhand winner down the line in the third game of the match and led 3-2 when rain halted play. A break in the rain allowed them to play three points, enough for Stepanek to hold to 4-2, before another downpour hit.

"He was very aggressive," Monfils said. "I expected that but he didn't miss a lot at the start, hit it pretty deep and fast. This was a bit tricky for me."

When play resumed, each man held twice, Stepanek taking the set on a service winner after 54 minutes.

Stepanek broke Monfils again to open the second set, the Frenchman racing down the Czech's forehand volley but netting a forehand. Stepanek made the break stand, serving out to win after 93 minutes with a forehand volley winner.

Stepanek, the oldest player in the world's top 100, became the ATP's oldest champion since France's Fabrice Santoro at 35 at Newport in 2008, Washington's eldest winner since a 35-year-old Connors and a top-30 player after starting the week ranked 54th.

Photos by Getty Images
Source AFP




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US OPEN SERIES ROGERS CUP: The Men In Montreal, The Women In Toronto - Action Begins August 5

Sunday, August 7, 2011


Draw To Follow


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USTA: Olympus US Open Series Sixth Season Launches

Thursday, July 23, 2009



Launched on Monday, July 20 was the sixth season of the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week North American summer tennis season that links 10 ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour summer tournaments to the US Open. Since its inception in 2004, the six-week Olympus US Open Series has doubled television viewership and increased event attendance, while generating new corporate partnerships for the sport. The full summer schedule is attached.

Throughout the summer, the Series will feature more than 200 national television hours on ESPN2, CBS and Tennis Channel, highlighted by back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sundays on ESPN2 and select finals on CBS. The Olympus US Open Series premieres Friday, July 24, with two hours on Tennis Channel, followed by four hours on ESPN2. An additional seven hours of coverage on both networks will follow over the weekend, with the finals airing live on Sunday on ESPN2 beginning at 3 p.m. ET.

More than 200 of the game’s top players will compete during the Series for over $30 million in prize money. Additionally, through the Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge, players will be competing for more than $2.6 million in potential bonus prize money. Bonus prize money is awarded to the top three men and top three women in the Series based on their performance at the US Open.

Olympus, the Series’ inaugural sponsor, is continuing its partnership with the USTA as the title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series season will be supported by a multi-million dollar national marketing campaign, a redesigned OlympusUSOpenSeries.com website, and increased sponsor activation on both the national and local level.

“I’m looking forward to my return to tournament tennis on the Olympus US Open Series this summer,” said Kim Clijsters, who is playing Olympus US Open Series events in Cincinnati and Toronto after leaving the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour to give birth to her first child in February last year. “I’ve played some of my best tennis during the Series and think it is a great lead-up to the US Open for players and for fans.” In 2005, Clijsters earned the biggest paycheck in the history of women’s tennis -- $2.2 million -- by winning the Olympus US Open Series and US Open.

"I am very excited about coming back to competition and the Olympus US Open Series is the best place to do so. Those events coming up are important in the tennis calendar and also a perfect way to gain the right pace and rhythm for the last Grand Slam of the year, the US Open,” said Rafael Nadal, who had his career best showing at the US Open last year after winning the Olympus US Open Series. “On a personal level, I know it will be tough since I have been away from competition for some time now. In any case I am confident and will give it my all out there."

”I think creating the Olympus US Open Series was great as it puts the summer tennis season under one roof and makes it cohesive,” said Andy Roddick, who won back-to-back Olympus US Open Series titles in 2005 and 2006. “I’ve done well at a lot of the tournaments, and have a history with these lead-up events. It is one of the parts of the year that I look forward to most.”

“We created the Olympus US Open Series with the goal of elevating the sport of tennis in North America,” said Jim Curley, Chief Professional Tournaments Officer, USTA. “By working closely and collaboratively with both tours, our television partners and sponsors, and the tournaments and players, we have created a true showcase for tennis that is having great results across the board.”

National Television Broadcasts

More than 200 hours of tennis action will be televised during the six weeks of the Olympus US Open Series, with ESPN2 remaining the lead broadcaster, and additional national coverage on CBS and Tennis Channel. The Olympus US Open Series, with the US Open, provides tennis with more live national television coverage during its eight weeks than any other summer sport over the same time period. Series broadcasts have reached an average of 41 million viewers annually over the first five years, more than doubling viewership numbers of these events prior to the launch of the Series in 2004.

Instant replays and official reviews on television broadcasts will continue to be branded the “Chase Review,” and as in 2008, players will have three challenges per set plus one additional during a tiebreaker.

National Marketing Campaign

This year for the first time, the Olympus US Open Series and the US Open are being marketed under the same campaign, entitled, “It Must Be Love.” This year’s multi-million dollar marketing and advertising campaign features some of the games biggest stars and is a multimedia effort that includes national television, radio, print, digital media and customized local executions in Olympus US Open Series markets. More than a dozen top players, including Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Ana Ivanovic, Roger Federer, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Jelena Jankovic, were filmed for the campaign.

In all, 13 30-second TV ads will comprise the television campaign, which will air nationally in and outside of tennis programming on CBS, ESPN2, NBC, ABC, and Tennis Channel. Print executions will appear throughout the summer in USA Today, The New York Times and other top metropolitan markets and an accompanying radio campaign -- which includes over 40,000 spots -- will air in markets around the country to drive television tune-in.


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