Brackets Announced on ESPN2 August 26; 100 Hours on ESPN2 HD, Nearly 400 on ESPN3.com
’30 for 30’ Documentary Unmatched Sept. 14 – Intimate Portrait of Evert-Navratilova Rivalry
ESPN will present unprecedented multi-platform and worldwide coverage throughout the entire two weeks of tennis’ final Grand Slam event of 2010, the US Open from New York August 30 – September 12. Fans will enjoy 100 hours in high definition on ESPN2 HD, nearly 400 hours on ESPN3.com’s multi-court offering plus coverage across ESPN’s platforms in the U.S. and around the world.
ESPN’s multimedia coverage will begin Thursday, Aug. 26, with the live, exclusive announcement of the tournament’s men’s and women’s singles brackets on ESPN2 with the 2010 US Open Draw Announcement Special at noon ET. Chris McKendry will host the one-hour show, with Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert and Patrick McEnroe. The program will also be available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Mobile TV.
During the first week of the tournament, ESPN2’s coverage will start at 1 p.m. each weekday and will continue non stop for at least 10 hours through both the day and evening sessions. The latter, Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM, will begin at 7 p.m. and continue until 11 p.m. or when play is concluded, whichever is later. On opening night, Monday, August 30, a ceremony celebrating those who “Dream, Succeed and Inspire” will precede the action. Four-time US Open champion Martina Navratilova, fan-favorite James Blake and reigning US Open Wheelchair singles and doubles champion Esther Vergeer will be honored. The ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium will be hosted by ABC News’ Christiane Amanpour and will feature a special musical performance by Grammy winner Gloria Estefan.
The second week, ESPN2 will have Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM at 7 p.m. on Labor Day Monday, Sept. 6, followed by day-long windows Tuesday – Thursday starting at 11 a.m. (There is a two-hour gap on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 6-8 p.m.)
While ESPN2 is on the air, SportsCenter will have the right to cut-in live for updates and key moments. SportsCenter’s daytime edition is on ESPN until 3 p.m. with later editions from 6-7 p.m. and 11 p.m.-midnight. In addition, as of Monday, August 30, it is also on ESPNEWS 3-6 p.m. and 7-11 p.m.
On the final day of the tournament, Sunday, Sept. 12, ESPN2 will televise live the women’s doubles championship at 1 p.m., and will review all the action at 9 p.m. with a special two-hour edition of SportsCenter at the US Open. As with the other three Grand Slams, ESPN2 will work with Tennis Channel to bring fans virtually round-the-clock coverage during the US Open, each utilizing its own commentators.
Fans will enjoy a new view of the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium on ESPN2 HD. In a first for any Grand Slam event in tennis, a camera will fly over the court on a four-point aerial system. The angle should be both dramatic for walk-ons, ceremonies and walk-offs and incisive for replays.
ESPN2’s Commentator Lineup | Photos
The dean of ESPN’s tennis team is Cliff Drysdale, a former US Open finalist who has been with ESPN since its first tennis telecast September 14, 1979, exactly one week after the network launched, making him second in ESPN tenure among commentators behind only Bob Ley. Chris Fowler, ESPN’s lead studio anchor for Grand Slam tennis since 2003, will serve as a host and call matches. Mike Tirico of Monday Night Football, Hannah Storm and Chris McKendry will also serve as hosts. John and Patrick McEnroe will again often be paired in the booth, and the rest of the ESPN tennis team returns: Darren Cahill, Mary Carillo, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert and Pam Shriver. In addition, Rick Reilly and Tom Rinaldi will contribute features and essays during the first week of action.
More US Open from ESPN, Inc.
ESPN3.com, the company’s signature live sports broadband network, will cover the action from five courts beginning at 1 p.m. the first five days. ESPN3.com will also simulcast ESPN2 for the full tournament, select additional court coverage and a simulcast of the Women’s Doubles final for a total of approximately 375 hours of US Open tennis on the web.
ESPN3.com is ESPN’s live sports broadband network, giving fans a 24/7 online destination that delivers more than 3,500 live, global sports events annually. It is available at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection from an affiliated service provider, and is currently available in more than 53 million homes – a majority of U.S. broadband homes. It is available via dozens of Internet Service Providers of all sizes nationwide, including Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Charter, Windstream, RCN, Insight, Frontier, Cavalier, Mediacom, Conway, Grande Communications and many more. It is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
ESPN.com
- US Open Central: ESPN.com will again feature US Open Central, a dynamic content application that will feature the official live scoring for all matches throughout the tournament. Additionally, US Open Central will be available for the first time on the ESPN Mobile Web site.
- The Pulse: A multi-tool application with all-court scoring, match stats, Cover It Live conversations, poll questions, rolling Twitter feeds and scrolling bottom line.
- Digital Serve: Exclusive daily dotcom video segment previewing the next day’s action.
- Slam Central: A daily destination for all US Open fixtures.
- Open Notebook: An aggregation of what the latest happenings are on the grounds of Flushing Meadows. From interviews, latest results, and even vetting the food, fans will get a taste of everything.
ESPN Interactive TV will be presented on DIRECTV. During the ESPN2 telecast windows for the first five days, a six-screen mosaic will include the ESPN2 program, along with matches with commentary from five other courts. In total, viewers will have access to more than 435 hours of live tennis action and 140 extra matches. Production will be enhanced with press conferences, interviews and features that will be added during court changeovers and between matches. All six screens can be expanded to full screen or picture-in-picture at the touch of the remote button. In addition, DIRECTV will offer “Matches On Now,” a graphic across the bottom with scores from each of the matches currently on the court channels, with the ability to tune directly to the match, and “Results,” an instant look at real-time scores and schedule info for matches ahead – all without leaving the match the viewer is watching.
ESPN International will offer 140 hours of live coverage on nine networks covering Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean and in high definition in Latin America. Coverage to Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America will be anchored by Luis Alvarez and Eduardo Varela with analysts Javier Frana and Jose Luis Clerc and reporters Sophie Cortina and Miguel Simon. Sam Gore and Mark Brown will handle English play-by-play with analyst Kathy Rinaldi. Latin America’s ESPN Play will feature over 300 hours of live streaming coverage which will include up to four tennis courts in separate windows. Additional Spanish content will be available on ESPN360.com, ESPNdeportes.com and ESPN Mobile, featuring daily webisodes of “ESPNiando” hosted by Varela, access to reports from New York and daily highlights.
ESPN Deportes, the Spanish-language U.S. network, will present 15 hours of live action during the first week of the US Open. Luis Alvarez and Eduardo Varela will handle the play-by-play with the analysis of Argentinean former tennis players Javier Frana and Jose Luis Clerc. Sophie Cortina will serve as reporter. ESPNdeportes.com will also serve U.S. Hispanic fans featuring daily webisodes of “ESPNiando” with the latest news and information. In addition, the site will offer special daily reports, highlights from New York and updates on Twitter by Varela, Cortina, and Alvarez. ESPN Deportes Radio will feature daily segments during the morning drive show Al Amanecer.
ESPN Mobile TV will present 74 live hours of live action, including men’s and women’s quarterfinals and the women’s doubles final, in addition the one-hour 2010 US Open Draw Announcement Special on Thursday, Aug. 26 at noon.
‘30 for 30’ Documentary Unmatched
Even after the championships are awarded, tennis fans will be able to continue to enjoy the sport with a unique and personal look at the rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova with Unmatched on Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. Directed by award-winning filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters, and produced by ESPN’s own Hannah Storm, and part of ESPN’s acclaimed “30 for 30” series of 30 documentaries, Unmatched tells the story of one of the greatest rivalries in sports and captures these two extraordinary athletes’ views on tennis and an ever-changing world. Filmed over the course of a few days in a variety of settings – relaxing, jogging, driving, hitting on the court and more – and without narration or host, the two reflect upon their differences and similarities and public personas.
ESPN Classic: Great US Open Matches from the Past
All this week and during the tournament, ESPN Classic will present great US Open matches from the past. They range from the 1974 Women’s Final between Billie Jean King and Evonne Goolagong (won by King 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, airing Sunday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m.) to last year’s dramatic five-set men’s final in which Juan Martin del Potro upset Roger Federer (Sunday, Aug. 29 at 11 p.m.).
Of special note are showings of two particularly noteworthy matches upon significant anniversaries:
- the 1980 Men’s Final – 30 years ago – when John McEnroe defeated Bjorn Borg 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4 for his second of four US Open titles (Aug. 29 at 9 p.m. and Sept. 7 at 9 a.m.),
- and a 20th anniversary look back at the 1990 Men’s Final, in which Pete Sampras won the first of his 14 major titles, downing Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to become the youngest US Open men’s champion (Aug. 25 at 9 p.m. and Sept. 9 at 9 a.m.)
Two more Evert-Navratilova matches will lead into Unmatched on Tues., Sept 14. The ESPN Classic schedule:
| Date | Time (ET) | Match |
| Tue, Aug 24 | 9-11 p.m. | 1984 Men’s Semifinal: John McEnroe vs. Jimmy Connors |
| Wed, Aug 25 | 9-11 p.m. | 1990 Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi |
| Thur, Aug 26 | 9-11 p.m. | 1995 Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi |
| Fri, Aug 27 | 9-11 p.m. | 1989 Men’s Quarterfinal: Jimmy Connors vs. Andre Agassi |
| Sat, Aug 28 | 7-8 a.m. | 1979 Women’s Final: Tracy Austin vs. Chris Evert Lloyd |
| 8-10 a.m. | 1981 Women’s Final: Tracy Austin vs. Martina Navratilova | |
| 10 a.m.-Noon | 1984 Women’s Final: Martina Navratilova vs. Chris Evert Lloyd | |
| Sun, Aug 29 | 7-9 a.m. | 1976 Men’s Final: Jimmy Connors vs. Bjorn Borg |
| 9 a.m.-Noon | 2001 Men’s Quarterfinal: Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi | |
| 6-7 p.m. | 1974 Women’s Final: Billie Jean King vs. Evonne Goolagong | |
| 7-9 p.m. | 2004 Women’s Quarterfinal: S.Williams vs. Jennifer Capriati | |
| 9-11 p.m. | 1980 Men’s Final: John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg | |
| 11 p.m.-2 a.m. | 2009 Men’s Final: Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin del Potro | |
| Mon, Aug 30 | 2-4 a.m. | 1994 Men’s Final: Andre Agassi vs. Michael Stich |
| Tue, Sept 7 | 9-11 a.m. | 1980 Men’s Final: John McEnroe vs. Bjorn Borg |
| Thur, Sept 9 | 9-11 a.m. | 1990 Men’s Final: Pete Sampras vs. Andre Agassi |
| Tue, Sept 14 | 4-6 p.m. | 1988 Australian Open W.Semifinal: Evert vs. Navratilova |
| 6-8 p.m. | 1984 Women’s Final: Martina Navratilova vs. Chris Evert Lloyd |
ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year.
ESPN debuted September 7, 1979, and the first tennis telecast was exactly one week later, September 14, a Davis Cup tie, Argentina at U.S. from Memphis with Cliff Drysdale on the call and John McEnroe playing.
ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993) and Wimbledon since 2003.
ESPN2 & the 2010 US Open
Date |
Time (ET) |
Event |
| Mon, Aug 30 | 1-11 p.m. | First Round Action |
| Tues, Aug 31 | 1-11 p.m. | First Round Action |
| Wed, Sept 1 | 1-11 p.m. | Men’s First Round/Women’s Second Round Action |
| Thur, Sept 2 | 1-11 p.m. | Second Round Action |
| Fri, Sept 3 | 1-11 p.m. | Men’s Second Round/Women’s Third Round Action |
| Mon, Sept 6 | 7-11 p.m. | Round of 16 |
| Tues, Sept 7 | 11 a.m.-11 p.m. | Men’s Round of 16, Women’s Quarterfinals |
| Wed, Sept 8 | 11 a.m.-11 p.m. | Quarterfinals |
| Thur, Sept 9 | 11 a.m.-6 p.m. | Men’s Quarterfinals |
| 8-11 p.m. | Men’s Quarterfinals, Mixed Doubles Final | |
| Sun, Sept 12 | 1-3 p.m. | Women’s Doubles Final |
| 9-11 p.m. | SportsCenter at the US Open |
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