ESPN this summer will broadcast more than 1,800 hours of men’s and women’s live tennis action across its platforms as the exclusive domestic TV and digital media partner for the U.S. Open and Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series.
This is the first year of a new 11-year deal between ESPN and the U.S. Tennis Association for the U.S. Open and Open Series. ESPN’s U.S. Open coverage now will include the Labor Day Weekend and Finals Weekend windows that were broadcast by CBS for more than 40 years.
ESPN’s coverage of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series, a five-week schedule of North American tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open, will begin July 27 on ESPN3 with the men’s BB&T Atlanta Open. The U.S. Open, at which Serena Williams is expected to try and become tennis’ first Grand Slam singles winner since 1988, runs Aug. 31-Sept. 13 in New York.
For the Open, the men’s singles final will return to its traditional Sunday afternoon time slot (Sept. 13) after several years of Monday afternoon broadcasts; the women’s singles final, previously held Saturdays in primetime, is scheduled for Saturday afternoon (Sept. 12), clearing ESPN’s primetime for college football. The men’s singles semifinals will take place on Friday afternoon (Sept. 11), with the women’s singles semifinals set for primetime on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Tennis Channel will continue to air pre- and post-match coverage, analysis and match encores throughout the two weeks of the Open.
