(Updated from yesterday’s press release with the addition of more Tuesday afternoon players in action.)

Also: Kyrgios on Ashe (ESPN); Tsitsipas, Fernandez on Armstrong (ESPN2) as “Cross-Court Coverage” is Added for First Two Nights

Monday Afternoon with Coco, Medvedev, Murray, Halep & Keys

Tuesday Afternoon

Alcaraz & Venus on Ashe, Swiatek, Stephens & Sinner on Armstrong

Others Playing: Americans Pegula, Johnson, Isner, Anisimova & Tiafoe

Former Major Champions: Muguruza, Kvitova & Azarenka

Tuesday Night Nadal & Osaka on Ashe, Raducanu & Sock on Armstrong

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Serena Williams – very possibly playing the final event of her legendary career – will headline opening night at the US Open on ESPN on Monday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. ET, playing Danka Kovinic, a 27-year-old from Montenegro.  For the first time, “Cross-Court Coverage” will be employed the first two nights as ESPN shows the action from Arthur Ashe Stadium while ESPN2 focuses on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The second match on Ashe will see Nick Kyrgios facing fellow Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.  The doubleheader on ESPN2 will see No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Daniel Elahi Galan, followed by last year’s US Open women’s finalist, 19-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada squaring off against Oceane Dodin of France.

Williams recently wrote she is “evolving away from tennis” and most observers believe the US Open will be her swansong.  She counts six trophies from New York among her 23 Major championships, one short of the record held by Margaret Court. Her opponent, Kovinic, is ranked No. 80 in the world (peaked at No. 46 in 2016) and reached the third round earlier this year at the Australian and French Opens.

Monday afternoon’s coverage on ESPN begins at noon starting with top seed Daniil Medvedev beginning the defense of his first Major title vs. Stefan Kozlov, a 24-year-old from Florida.  The second match on Ashe will feature 18-year-old Coco Gauff, this year’s French Open runnerup, playing Leolia Jeanjean.  Meanwhile on Armstrong, the matches will include Andy Murray on first, followed by Simona Halep and Madison Keys.

The action on ESPN+ and ESPN3 gets underway at 11 a.m., and Monday’s play includes  No. 3 Maria Sakkari, Canadians No. 6 Felix Auger-Aliassime and 2019 champion Bianca Andreescu, No. 13 Matteo Berrettini, a battle of Americans in No. 29 Alison Riske-Amritraj and Elena Yu, No. 31 Shelby Rogers of South Carolina vs. Arantxa Rus, former champs Stan Wawrinka and Dominic Theim (playing No. 12 Pablo Carreno Busta), recent Wimbledon finalist No. 5 Ons Jabeur facing American Madison Bringle, American CoCo Vandeweghe vs. Maryna Zanevska, plus to start the day 23-year-old American J.J. Wolf will face No. 16 Roberto Bautista Agut, 34.  Playing no earlier than 6 p.m. are No. 10 Taylor Fritz of California and No. 2 Anett Kontaveit

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s order of play on the two biggest courts, the prime-time doubleheaders on Ashe and Armstrong:

• Ashe Stadium: Four-time winner No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. Rinky Hijikata, Two-time champion Naomi Osaka vs. American No. 19 Danielle Collins
• Armstrong Stadium: Defending champion No. 11 Emma Raducanu vs. Alize Cornet, No. 14 Diego Schwarzman vs. American Jack Sock

That day’s daytime matchups:

• Ashe Stadium: No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz vs. Sebastian Baez, two-time champion Venus Williams vs. Alison Van Uytvanck
• Armstrong Stadium: 1 Iga Swiatek vs. Jasmine Paolini, 2017 winner Sloane Stephens vs. Greet Minnen, No. 11 Jannik Sinner vs. Daniel Altmaier
• Around the grounds: Play begins at 11 a.m. on ESPN+ and ESPN3 and includes Americans No. 8 Jessica Pegula and Steve Johnson (vs. No. 17 Grigor Dimitrov) who are each first on, John Isner (following Pegula), No. 24 Amanda Anisimova (not before 5 p.m.) and No. 22 Frances Tiafoe (not before 6 p.m.).  Others of note:  9 Garbine Muguruza (11 a.m.), No. 9 Andrey Rublev (following Muguruza), No. 21 Petra Kvitova (following Johnson), No. 8 Hubert Hurkacz (following Rublev), No. 4 Paula Badosa (following Kvitova) and three-time runner-up No. 26 Victoria Azarenka (following Hurkacz).

ESPN & the 2022 US Open – First Two Rounds

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