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New Armstrong Stadium Debut Produces New US Open History In Halep Loss To Kanepi

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

 

Simona Halep and Kaia Kanepi were given the historic distinction of playing in the first ever official US Open main draw match on the new 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium.

It turned out to be only part of the US Open history that was made in the match.

Kanepi, a US Open quarterfinalist the previous year, shocked the top-seeded Halep 62 64, marking the first time in the history of the US Open that the No. 1 seed lost in the first round.

“Today, I just lost,” said Halep. “I didn’t play great, but she played really well. I knew that she can play well here. She played in the quarterfinals here last year. I didn’t find the balance today. I couldn’t play better, so that’s it.”

It marks the second straight year that Halep has lost in the first round, last year as the No. 2 seed, she was unfortunate to draw wild card entry and 2005 US Open champion Maria Sharapova in the first round, going down is a titanic three-set night match.

On Twitter, Chris Clarey from the New York Times wrote that Halep has lost in the first round in 12 of her 24 career major tournaments, saying “can’t remember any established No. 1 with that sort of roller coaster record at Slams.”

Previously, the earliest loss by a No. 1 seeded woman at the US Open came in 2008 when No. 1 seed Ana Ivanovic, like Halep the reigning French Open champion, lost to Julie Coin of France 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. In 50 years of “Open Tennis” the No. 1 seeded woman has only lost in the opening round five other times.

 

Moment Kaia Kanepi Upsets Simona Halep On Louis Armstrong Stadium
Moment Kaia Kanepi Upsets Simona Halep On Louis Armstrong Stadium

Roger Federer stops the rain

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By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

The greatest tennis tournament in the world (as they like to call it here), which takes place in the greatest city in the world (ditto), was held up for two days because of rain. Precipitation doesn’t bother the Australian Open in Melbourne (which is not even the greatest city in Australia), nor does it faze fusty Wimbledon, whose historic Centre Court now wears a fashionable, retractable roof.

Roger Federer

The first day of rain, Tuesday, was a godsend, as I caught up on sleep and did my laundry. It made me see for the first time the intelligence of Wimbledon’s organizers, who forbid play on the first Sunday and thus give everyone – media, staff, and especially players – a much needed rest.

By Wednesday the rain, though less forceful, got a little tired. Though it had the miraculous effect of making people who had watched eight straight days of tennis hungry for tennis.

Thursday morning I woke up to the now familiar sight of New Yorkers with umbrellas walking down 66th Street. I took my sunglasses and sunblock out of my bag, left the umbrella in there, and headed off for Flushing Meadows, where, naturally, the sun was shining brightly. (Note to the USTA: Should you wish to hire me as a weather-influencer, I am available.)

At the media center I picked up the day’s bulletin and saw that, while the U.S. Open does not have a roof, it does have a sense of humor. “Day Eleven,” read the front-page headline, “Is Awash in Talent.”

I headed out to the Grandstand, its singles life extended even further by the rain. Kennard was back at Gate 16, and Claudia, controlling the media box, looked refreshed.

As did Andy Murray, who took care of Donald Young in straight sets. I walked through the corridor and found a strangely empty Louis Armstrong Stadium. A bubble had appeared from all the rain, an usher told me, and the Andy Roddick-David Ferrer match had been moved to Court 13.

I grabbed a quick lunch in the food court – Cordon Bleu crepe – and, returning to the media center, found a crowd of people gathered at the practice courts. (Note to Donald Young: If by chance you’re reading this, you may want to stop now.) The object of their attention was Andy Murray.

Two media seats opened up on Court 13 for the third set of Roddick-Ferrer. During the eighth game, Ferrer serving, the strains of La Bamba penetrated the stands. It was all the Spaniard needed to win his first set. Pam Shriver, who had been waiting to do a post-match interview with Roddick, headed for the exit with her ESPN microphone in hand, followed by her soundman and cameraman. “That’s gotta be a moral victory,” said the reporter next to me, “for your opponent.”

Roddick, I noticed, puffs out air through Dizzy Gillespie cheeks after each shot (including his serve), and then again while preparing to hit the next one.

He won the fourth set and did a Todd Martin by daylight, taking a victory lap around the court and high-fiving front-row fans. For the post-match interview, he got the Tennis Channel instead of an impatient ESPN.

The next match on cozy Court 13 featured Andrea Petkovic versus Caroline Wozniacki, who had last been seen in a night match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. At times during the match you could hear the grunts of Djokovic inside that stadium broadcast by the speakers in the plaza.

The young man sitting next to me represented Wozniacki and I asked him if he wouldn’t prefer representing Petkovic. “She’s Number One,” he said, a bit surprised by my question. “But Petkovic has more personality,” I said. “Caroline has a lot of personality,” he insisted. “You don’t know her. She’s a very sweet girl.”

But not on the court. She took care of Petkovic in straight sets. I thought: If anyone has the resources – and reading materials – to get over a loss on a tennis court, it’s Petkovic.

Outside Court 17, where Angelique Kerber had just defeated Flavia Pennetta, I ran into Andrzej, the photographer who sits a few work stations away from El Expresso (where I am still sitting and actually thinking of requesting a raise). “A good day for Polish-speaking players,” I told him. In addition to Wozniacki and Kerber, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski had earlier won their men’s doubles match, and Agnieszka Radwanska (with Daniela Hantuchova) had won in women’s doubles. Of the Slavic languages left here, Polish may dominate.

Back at the media center I asked a German reporter about the Petkovic press conference. She was happily telling me what she knew and then, stopping in the middle of a sentence, she said: “Oh, Boris, sorry,” and rushed over to a small group surrounding Mr. Becker.

For the night session I took the elevator to the Club Level. “You know who I saw earlier?” the elevator operator asked. “Aretha Franklin. I wanted to get her autograph,” he said. “My mother loves her.”

While they cleaned the stadium I roamed the corridors. Champions Bar & Grill was loud with men in dress shirts and women in dresses. I squeezed my way in past the crowded bar and bumped against a waiter carrying a tray of raw oysters. So, I thought, the recession is over.

Then I realized that Arthur Ashe Stadium, during the second week of the Open, is like church on Christmas Eve. The hard-core believers are joined, if not outnumbered, by the once-a-year celebrants, people who like to dress up and be seen at big events.

A little ways down the corridor Silver Tennis Collection sold antique wooden racquets (some with broken strings), vintage tennis posters, used books on tennis, and tennis-themed glassware and jewelry, including a necklace with a minute, diamond-studded court set on a patch of black velvet.

The stadium was packed for the night match between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Federer got cheers when he appeared on the big screen for his interview in the walkway. When he stepped onto the court – The Man in Black – the roar ascended.

A fine mist interrupted the first set, creating a delay of 94 minutes. But even rain stops for Federer. He came back out and took care of Tsonga in three relatively easy sets. In the on-court interview he spoke in that soft, boyish, victory voice that always sounds strange emerging from the body of the merciless marksman and is – along with his cool comportment and movie star looks – a large part of his appeal.

Then his fans filed out of a dry Arthur Ashe Stadium, content that all was once again well with the world.

Rain continues to wash away US Open

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NEW YORK – Despite a brief flurry of play, defending US Open men’s singles champion Rafael Nadal will have to wait yet another day.

For the second straight day rain washed out play at the US Open, although three matches were started when the storm briefly subsided.

Gilles Muller of Luxembourg won the first three games against Nadal on Arthur Ashe Stadium court, while Andy Roddick took a 3-1 lead over Spain’s David Ferrer on Louis Armstrong. On the Grandstand, Donald Young led Andy Murray 2-1 as the two were on serve.


Nadal, Roddick and Murray complained to tournament officials about being made to play in what they felt were unsafe conditions. Although the courts appeared to be dry, there was a mist that eventually made the lines slippery and unable to continue play.

While waiting to see if conditions would improve, tournament officials announced the postponement of two men’s quarterfinals, top-ranked Novak Djokovic against his Serbian Davis Cup teammate Janko Tipsarevic and third-seeded Roger Federer against No. 11 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The matches that did get on court, although briefly, and the contest between Gilles Simon of France and American John Isner are all fourth-round matches, with the winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

There were no matches played Tuesday as rain covered almost the entire eastern seaboard. It was the time both the day and night sessions were canceled in their entirety at the US Open since Sept. 2, 2006.

Grandstanding

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By Thomas Swick
swickt@bellsouth.net

My favorite court looked as if it had concluded its singles life for the U.S. Open 2011 – after Donald Young took out Juan Ignacio Chela in straight sets yesterday afternoon – but by some lucky stroke the Maria Kirilenko-Samantha Stosur match was moved there for the evening.

Samantha Stosur

It began so prosaicly – Stosur taking the first set easily – that I wandered over to Gate 16 and struck up a conversation with one of the ushers. This was Kennard P. Rawson’s sixth year at the Open, and each one of them he had spent at Gate 16.

“It’s a difficult spot,” he explained, “because you’ve got to deal with people coming from two stadiums.” (The Grandstand sits in the shadow of Louis Armstrong, and the corridors of one bleed into the other.) “It’s also one of the busiest gates. And,” he added with a note of pride, “I think the fastest.”

A white handlebar mustache ribboned Rawson’s sun-burned face; tufts of white hair fluffed the sides of his cap.

“I really enjoy this spot,” he said, “and I enjoy the guy I work with. You get tired. You get frustrated. You run into people who get angry over something you probably have nothing to do with. But I’ve made a lot of friends in six years.”

He turned his attention to a woman waiting in line. “Don’t worry,” he told her confidently, “we’ll get the whole line in.”

I asked him if he ever saw celebrities.

“I see Pancho Segura every year,” he said. “I like him very much. I’m a racquet collector, and I’ve got a couple Pancho Segura racquets.”

“Any particularly memorable matches that you’ve seen?”

He thought for a long time and said: “Nothing comes to mind. I’ll probably wake up tonight and think of one. But I remember the little things. Like the other day a guy fell down, playing against Del Potro, and Del Potro came over and offered him a towel.”

A game had ended, Rawson got back to work, and I returned to my seat for the second set tiebreak.

The lead went back and forth, both women hitting ferociously, Kirilenko with loud utterances, Stosur in stoic silence. She seemed to have the most support, but by the time the points played reached 13, there arose a great divide between the players, who wanted the tiebreak to be over as soon as possible (each on her own terms of course), and the fans, who now wished it to go on and on. The nearly packed house had gone from cheering for a player to rooting for a drama. They had found, at last, their classic U.S. Open night match.

At the now almost unprecedented number of changeovers, both players took their time drinking and toweling off. Then they returned, almost disbelieving, to the court. The score continued to mount, as did the noise. In a facility where you’re constantly thinking you should be somewhere else – “Wonder what’s happening on Court 17” – you knew there was no other place to be.

Stosur got five match points and lost them all, two of them to challenges. The roars greeting the pictures that appeared on the big screen of a thick white line eclipsed, once just barely, by a shadowy sphere would have converted any doubters of the replay system. At 16-15 Stosur sent a shot wide, and the pandemonium of the crowd belied its disappointment that the epic duel was over.

And it was, as Stosur undeflatedly, and unremarkably, won the third set 6-3. But we had witnessed not only drama but history: the longest women’s tiebreaker in Grand Slam history. And Kennard P. Rawson had been given an answer for the next time someone asks him about a memorable match.

$300 Million Facelift Approved for US Open: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Justin Cohen

$300 Million Facelift at US Open

The USTA has approved a $300 million renovation project at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which includes the demolition and reconstruction of Louis Armstrong Stadium as well as the addition of two smaller stadiums around the grounds, according to Dan Kaplan with Sports Business Journal. The process of knocking down Armstrong, the main center court at the US Open from 1978 to 1996, won’t begin for a few years. However, construction on one of the two mini stadiums will begin immediately. The replacement stadium for Louis Armstrong would hold 12,000-14,000 fans. Currently, Armstrong holds 10,200 fans. The new stadium will be roof ready in case a roof is needed in the future. Construction will begin immediately on a 3,000-seat mini stadium, which will be built adjacent to the hospitality building on the property’s less busy southeast corner. That mini-stadium may or may not be ready for the 2011 U.S. Open, but will be ready for 2012. For now the USTA will spend $30 million on the first portion of the overhaul project.

WTT Smash Hits event raises more than $500,000

On Monday night at the Bender Arena on the campus of American University in Washington, D.C., many big name tennis players rallied for charity at the WTT Smash Hits presented by GEICO to help raise more than $500,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundations and the Washington AIDS Partnership. Team Billie Jean defeated Team Elton 19-15 to tie their overall series at 9-9.  In its 18-year history, WTT Smash Hits has raised more than $10 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charities throughout the United States. Before the matches started, a live auction took place, which raised $267,000 of the evening’s total. The top items which sold during the auction were the two popular Billie Jean King Wimbledon Packages, which each sold for $32,000.

Vera Zvonareva

Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs

The USTA recently announced the participants for the upcoming 2010 Australian Open Wild Card Playoffs, sponsored by VocalCloud, which will be held for a second straight year at the Racquet Club of the South, a USTA Certified Regional Training Center in Atlanta, from December 17-19.  Eight men and eight women will compete in the wild card playoffs. The USTA secured the opportunity through a reciprocal agreement with Tennis Australia where the two national tennis federations exchange wild cards for the 2010 US Open and the 2011 Australian Open. On the men’s side, Ryan Harrison, Jordan Cox, Denis Kudla, Tim Smyczek, Jack Sock and Donald Young have been invited to compete. On the women’s side, Jamie Hampton, Christina McHale, Alison Riske and Coco Vandeweghe have been invited to compete. The final fields will be set in the coming weeks. “Our philosophy is based on having our top emerging players improve through competition, and the wild card playoffs allow these players to earn the opportunity to compete at the highest levels of the sport,” said Patrick McEnroe, General Manager of USTA Player Development. “We are also very excited to return to the Racquet Club of the South and the city of Atlanta. The support for the event last year was tremendous.”


Tennis Channel Academy Returns

On Sunday, November 14, Tennis Channel Academy, hosted by Tracy Austin, returned to television sets around the country with a special feature on Roger Federer’s coach, Paul Annacone. The third season of the show brings viewers along the ride for a tennis lesson with one of the world’s top instructors each week. The season will conclude December 26 with a Best of Tennis Channel Academy episode with highlights from the six weekly lessons. The following instructors will be featured: Lynne Rolley (November 20), Rick Macci (November 28), Brad Stine (December 5), Gigi Fernandez (December 12), Brian Teacher (December 19), Eliot Teltscher (December 26).

Bryan Bros. returning to Houston in 2011

World No. 1 doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan, who are a perfect 11-0 in ATP World Tour finals in 2010, have committed to participate in the 2011 US Men’s Clay Court Championships at the River Oaks Country Club from April 4-10, 2011 in Houston, Texas. The twins from Camarillo, Calif., will be looking to win their third straight title in Houston. “The Bryans have enjoyed a tremendous season, and we’re thrilled to have been a part of it when they won here at River Oaks earlier this year,” said Van Barry, Tournament Director. “The twins are champions on and off the court, and we are very excited that they will return to Houston in April for the US Men’s Clay Court Championship.” Season tickets for the 2011 tournament are on sale now. Information on tickets can be found at www.mensclaycourt.com or by calling 713-874-6294.

Russian Players of the Year

Wimbledon and US Open singles finalist Vera Zvonareva and Mikhail Youzhny were named by the Russian Tennis Federation as the Female and Male Russian Tennis Players of the Year.

Goodbye Bondarenko Sisters

The Ukrainian Fed Cup team will compete without sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko after the duo announced that they have made a “mutual decision” to not participate for their country, allowing younger players to take part in the yearly competition. However, Kateryna said a return to the team remains a possibility.

London Pairings

Round robin groups for the ATP World Tour Finals in London:

Group A
Rafael Nadal (Spain)
Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic)
Andy Roddick (United States)

Group B

Roger Federer (Switzerland)
Robin Soderling (Sweden)

Andy Murray (Great Britain)

David Ferrer (Spain)

Hanging Up the Racquets

Former World No. 1 and 1998 French Open champion Carlos Moya is expected to announce his retirement for the ATP World Tour in a press conference on Wednesday. Throughout his career, the Spaniard won 573 singles matches, 20 singles titles and more than $13 million in tournament prize money. He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland with his girlfriend and their three-month-old daughter, Carla.

Fun in the Wind for the Juniors

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NEW YORK – Evan King wanted to have a little fun this summer. You know, hanging out with friends, playing a little ball.

His romp in the gusty wind ended under mostly cloudy skies Thursday, but even then it was special.

“I loved it,” King said after losing a third-round US Open Junior Boys match to 10th-seeded Denis Kudla. “They had the radar gun and a challenge system. We played on the second biggest court in tennis.”

Evan King

Kudla wasn’t so sure about that last statement.

“It’s the biggest second court in tennis,” he corrected.

The all-American affair took place in Louis Armstrong Stadium, for a number of years the Open’s main court. It didn’t matter that most of the 10,103 seats in Louis Armstrong were empty.

King and Kudla, both 18, are playing in their final junior tournament. By the luck of the draw and the strength of their winning their first two matches, the two found a familiar opponent on the other side of the net.

“This was our fourth official match, but fifth that counted,” King said, then rattled off that they played several times in tournaments for 14-year-olds and a Boys 16 event.

“In the Orange Bowl he got me pretty badly,” Kudla remembered.

On Thursday, it was Kudla who came out on top, beating the wind and King 6-7 (7) 7-5 6-4.

King is ready to begin his sophomore year at the University of Michigan. As a freshman he was named Big 10 Conference Rookie of the Year and Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Region Rookie of the Year. Because he hasn’t been playing junior events, he didn’t have a junior ranking and was able to enter the US Open event with a wild card.

“My ITF (International Tennis Federation) ranking is 800 or something,” King said. “Last year I beat the number five seed. This year I just wanted to come out here and enjoy.”

Kudla also is planning on post-junior events. He said he was thinking about the Futures circuit, but didn’t know when or where he would begin.

Despite the windy conditions, which have existed for a full week now, the two weren’t nervous about playing on such a big stage. There was a reason, of course.

“Talking this morning took away the nerves,” Kudla said, revealing the two friends chatted in the locker room before taking to the court. “I’m not putting so much pressure on myself as at the other Slams.”

Then there was the wind.

“It’s so windy out there that no one is playing well,” said Kudla, a native of Arlington, Virginia, USA. “You have to play with huge margins of error. I used a lot of spin and a lot of height over the net. He had the same kind of mindset.”

King said it was the first time either had played on a court where the challenge system was in use.

“I probably used it too much,” he said.

Maybe he didn’t.

In the fourth game of the match, King was called for a double-fault. But he challenged call on the second serve and the replay showed that the ball had clipped the outside of the left sideline. The call was changed to an ace, giving him a 40-0 lead.

A forehand volley that was returned into the net closed out the game and pulled the two even at 2.

The next challenge by King, a native of Chicago, Illinois, came on a baseline call on a ball that had been called long. The line judge had been right.

In his next service game, King battled to hold. Twice Kudla had break point as the two exchanged in long baseline rallies, playing it safe by hitting the ball short and down the middle. On the second break point, King hit an 87 mph (140 kph) service winner, pulling back to deuce.

Two netted forehands by Kudla allowed King to hold serve to 3-3.

Kudla took a 4-0 lead in the tiebreak, beginning with his second ace of the day. But his forehand volley went wide on the fifth point as King began his comeback. A netted backhand volley later in the tie-break began King’s four-point run to close out the set, the final point coming when Kudla double-faulted.

Kudla challenged two consecutive points in the fourth game of the second set. On one he was correct; on the other he was not.

The two traded service breaks early in the set, but Kudla again broke King at 15 in the 11th game, and then held at 15 to knot the match at one set apiece. In the third set, Kudla again was the aggressor, taking the net whenever he could to end points with excellent volleying. King was more content to stay back and hit with topspin, hoping to draw errors.

The only service break in the third set came in the seventh game.

Also advancing to the Junior Boys quarterfinals were Filip Horansky of Slovakia, Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, Agustin Velotti of Argentina, Victor Baluda of Russia, Marton Fucsovics of Hungary and two Americans, Jack Sock and Dennis Novikov.

Winning third-round Junior Girls matches were Daria Gavrilova and Yulia Putintseva of Russia, Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, Caroline Garcia of France, Ons Jabeur of Tunisia, Monica Pulg of Puerto Rico, and Americans Robin Anderson and Sloane Stephens.

Tennis Channel will televise 73 hours of live match play at world’s largest tennis tournament

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23, 2010 – Tennis Channel’s second year of US Open coverage will provide viewers with 73 hours of live matches as the tennis world descends upon New York, and will also introduce a new team member who knows a thing (or two) about on-court glory in the Big Apple.  This year two-time US Open singles titlist Tracy Austin joins the network’s returning on-air roster of tennis champions, with a lineup that includes lead analysts Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova and US Open Tonight / Breakfast at the Open host Lindsay Davenport.  In all the network will offer 234 hours of US Open telecasts, with nearly 24-hour, “Grounds Pass” level of coverage during the two-week competition.

When live matches are not taking place in Flushing Meadow, Tennis Channel’s signature US Open Tonight and Breakfast at the Open will recap all the excitement of that day’s play, and lead into the following morning’s contests.  Again hosted by 1998 US Open champion Lindsay Davenport and Kevin Frazier of Entertainment Tonight fame, the news, interview and highlight shows will air alongside encore matches throughout the night during the tournament, giving viewers a close to 24-hour daily US Open experience.

Beginning with its opening-match coverage on Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium the first day of play Monday, Aug. 30, Tennis Channel’s typical US Open schedule features live matches daily from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (all times ET).  US Open Tonight immediately follows the conclusion of the final US Open match of the evening, and airs with encore matches until Breakfast at the Open premieres at 6 a.m. and runs next to encore matches until the start of that day’s play at 11 a.m.  During Labor Day weekend Tennis Channel’s live-match window moves to prime time, from 7 p.m.-11 p.m.  As with the other three Grand Slams, Tennis Channel will combine with ESPN2 to bring fans virtually round-the-clock coverage during the US Open, each network utilizing its own commentators.

The Tennis Channel

On-Air Talent

Though new to the network’s Grand Slam team, Austin has been a Tennis Channel regular via Tennis Channel Academy, the coaches-and-clinics series she has hosted since 2008.  She has also done commentary and analysis work for the channel’s coverage of top events like the women’s year-end championships.  During the US Open she will serve as Tennis Channel’s afternoon and late-match analyst, appear in short features and interact with fans on the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center grounds.

A tennis prodigy, Austin is best known for dethroning four-time US Open champion Chris Evert in 1979 at the mere age of 16, making her the youngest US Open champion in history.  She was the No. 1 women’s singles player in 1980 and boasts an impressive collection of 30 singles titles, including two US Open championships along with a Wimbledon mixed doubles title.  She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992.

“Tennis Channel tries to put as much of the US Open on fans’ television screens as is humanly possible, and I’m thrilled to join them this year,” said Austin.  “This is an exciting time of the tennis season and this tournament has such special memories for me.”

Tennis icons Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova are back as Tennis Channel’s lead US Open analysts, again putting the all-time men’s and women’s singles titlists in the same booth.  They will be joined once more by veteran sportscaster Bill Macatee, a mainstay of the network’s Grand Slam coverage since its first effort in Paris in 2007.  Lead commentators Ted Robinson and Ian Eagle are also back on Tennis Channel’s on-air roster, as are former players Leif Shiras, Katrina Adams, Jimmy Arias, Justin Gimelstob and Corina Morariu.  Year-round Court Report anchor Cari Champion will also be on the tournament grounds for special news and feature segments.  US Open Tonight and Breakfast at the Open are hosted by Davenport and Frazier from Tennis Channel’s Los Angeles studio, with nightly Court Report segments from reporters Arlene Santana and Angela Sun.

“Grounds Pass”

After bringing its “Grounds Pass” Grand Slam coverage approach to the US Open last year for the first time, Tennis Channel is doing even more to give audiences the feel of spending a late-summer afternoon at the tournament.  New in 2010 is the “Tennis Channel Plaza,” a fixed interview and fan-interaction site centered just outside Arthur Ashe Stadium.  Throughout each day’s coverage Gimelstob, Champion and others will conduct interviews while surrounded by tournament ticket holders, routinely carrying on public address conversations with the crowd in the interim.  The network’s main set has been moved from the top of Louis Armstrong Stadium and brought outside to the second level of Arthur Ashe Stadium, in full view of the public.  Usually featuring Robinson and Eagle, this set will be the center point of Tennis Channel’s coverage, from here taking viewers to center court with Macatee, Connors and Navratilova; off to the outer grounds with roving reporters; and on-air analysts or anywhere between.

Broadband and Digital Coverage

What the network cannot squeeze into viewers’ television sets over the Flushing Meadow fortnight is likely to be found on Tennis Channel’s Web site, www.tennischannel.com.  Beyond real-time scoring, schedules, draws and order of play, the site will include on-court video highlights, behind-the-scenes features, interviews and Court Report news segments.  Exclusive US Open photo gallery scenes capture the raucous energy of the event, while reporter Steve Flink and humorist James LaRosa have become Tennis Channel digital favorites who will again offer their online opinions as the competition unfolds.  At the same time, Web visitors can sign up for network sweepstakes and play its “Racquet Bracket” prediction game.  Tennis Channel’s YouTube (www.youtube.com/tennischannel), Twitter (www.twitter.com/tennischannel) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tennischannel) pages offer additional opportunities for fans to stay digitally engaged.

Tennis Channel’s Live 2010 US Open Match Schedule

Date                                        Time (ET)                   Event

Monday, Aug. 30                     11 a.m.-7 p.m.             First-Round Action

Tuesday, Aug. 31                     11 a.m.-7 p.m.             First-Round Action

Wednesday, Sept. 1                 11 a.m.-7 p.m.             First-Round, Second-Round Action

Thursday, Sept. 2                     11 a.m.-7 p.m.             Second-Round Action

Friday, Sept. 3                         11 a.m.-7 p.m.             Second-Round, Third-Round Action

Saturday, Sept. 4                      7 p.m.-11 p.m.             Third-Round Action

Sunday, Sept. 5                        7 p.m.-11 p.m.             Third-Round, Round-of-16 Action

Tuesday, Sept. 7                      11 a.m.-7 p.m.             Round-of-16 Action, Doubles

Wednesday, Sept. 8                 11 a.m.-7 p.m.             Doubles Quarterfinals, Mixed Semifinals

Thursday, Sept. 9                     11 a.m.-8 p.m.             Doubles, Juniors, Wheelchair

Tennis Channel’s US Open Tonight, Breakfast at the Open Schedule

US Open Tonight runs evenings and mornings Monday, Aug. 30-Sunday, Sept. 12, while Breakfast at the Open will air Monday, Aug. 30-Friday, Sept. 10.  Both are interspersed with same-day, encore matches.  This year US Open Tonight will start at the conclusion of play each evening which, especially the first week, could mean well into the early morning hours.  Because of the uncertain start time for US Open Tonight, Tennis Channel’s 11 p.m.-3 a.m. schedule will vary in terms of the number of times US Open Tonight airs, as will the length of the encore match.  The schedule is generally as follows (all times ET):

11 p.m.-3 a.m. – US Open Tonight / Encore Match

3 a.m.-4 a.m. – US Open Tonight

4 a.m.-6 a.m. – Encore Match

6 a.m.-7 a.m. – Breakfast at the Open

7 a.m.-10 a.m. – Encore Match

10 a.m.-11 a.m. – Breakfast at the Open

On Friday, Sept. 10, Tennis Channel will air a four-hour special, US Open Tonight: Best of the US Open, from 7 p.m.-11 p.m.  Three consecutive encore editions of this will run through 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 11.  From 12 a.m.-12 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, the network will air four US Open encore matches.  During the week of Sunday, Sept. 12, Tennis Channel will run encore replays of the men’s and women’s singles and doubles finals and mixed doubles final, TBD.

New Features at 2010 US Open, No “All-White” Rule at Olympic Tennis at Wimbledon: This Week in Tennis Business

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By Bob Stockton

  • New features at the 2010 US Open, to begin August 30 in New York, include upgraded facilities across the grounds, including new concession areas and the Octagon merchandise marquee, and expanded streaming on USOpen.org of all matches in all television windows. Other fan enhancements include the introduction of the Promenade Experience, which will better integrate the fans located in the Promenade sections of Arthur Ashe Stadium into the US Open experience, the expansion of SmashZone, the premier interactive fan experience in tennis, and a unique doubles exhibition featuring four legends of the game. The USTA also will host its second annual Family Day at the US Open, with reserved family seating in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday, August 31. Parents accompanied by children 14-and-under can sit together in reserved seating in Louis Armstrong Stadium.  The day’s activities will feature a family scavenger hunt, tennis giveaways, family-friendly entertainment attractions and a special QuickStart demonstration with Tracy Austin. An exclusive family breakfast, located in the Corporate Hospitality Pavilion in the Indoor Training Center, is also available as a ticket package for purchase and includes early access to Smashzone and a VIP gift bag.The QuickStart Tennis play format will be demonstrated for the first time in Arthur Ashe Stadium during the night session on Thursday, September 9. The demonstration will feature top QuickStart Tennis players under the age of 10.Fans sitting in the promenade section of Arthur Ashe Stadium will enjoy a new “experience” at the 2010 US Open. During each night session in 2010, Harry Cicma of World Tennis Television will serve as an in-stadium announcer and fans will be entertained by the “Prom Patrol,” who will provide prize giveaways. Wireless cameras will broadcast the Promenade Experience on the in-stadium vieos screens, and fans will have chances to win behind-the-scenes US Open experiences.  The Promenade Experience also will feature celebrities and former tennis professionals who will visit the promenade patrons.Also new will be microphones being installed in the player boxes in Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will help viewers get even closer to the emotion and drama of the US Open by adding the perspective of the players’ guests as matches unfold.Other innovations are as follows;
    The US Open

    QuickStart Clinic on Court 12: The USTA will hold a QuickStart Tennis clinic on Court 12 on Saturday, September 4, from 1:00–7:00pm that is open to all ticketholders.  The USTA will provide age-appropriate racquets and balls, and USTA coaches will be available to provide teaching tips.

    SmashZone: The premier fan interactive attraction in tennis, SmashZone will return to the 2010 US Open at its location in the Indoor Training Center.  The 20,000-square-foot interactive experience features the QuickStart Tennis play format (tennis scaled to size for kids) with special guest appearances on our “Center Court.” New attractions this year include the Tennis Hall of Fame Gallery, and opportunity to rally against an electronic backboard in a series of timed activities in the Training Zone presented by EveryoneBreathe.com.

    US Open Gallery – International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum: Each year since 1999, the US Open Gallery features a display from the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.  The gallery has moved to its new location inside SmashZone, where this year fans can have their photo taken with a replica US Open Trophy, meet legends of the game and experience tennis history.  The US Open Gallery is open daily.

    Chase Quick Deposit: Fans can visit one of two on-site Chase booths during each session to enter the Chase QuickDepositSM PIX2WIN sweepstakes.  Each day, one grand prize winner will receive $1,000, ten winners will receive $100, and up to 100 winners will get two passes to the new Chase Lounge.

    Olympus: Olympus will have a new booth this year that provides fans the opportunity to make their own commercials based on the US Open “It Must Be Love” campaign.  The booth will be located in the South Plaza.

    Stonyfield Café: This year, the Food Village will now feature Stonyfield Café, a grab-and-go dining option dedicated to serving healthy food, fast.  Sonyfield Café will offer food options that are all-natural and/or organic, locally grown and sustainable.

    US Open Court of Champions Induction: Margaret Osborne duPont and Ken Rosewall will be inducted into the US Open Court of Champions in a ceremony held prior to the men’s singles final on Sunday, September 12.  Osborne duPont won three straight US National Championships singles titles from 1948-50 and won 13 US National Championships doubles titles, including 10 straight from 1941-50.  Rosewall swept the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at the 1956 US National Championships and also won the 1970 US Open.  Following his induction into the US Open Court of Champions, Rosewall will toss the coin for the men’s singles final.

    Upgraded Concessions and Restaurants: The East Gate Concession Stand has been entirely rebuilt, as has the Patio Café adjacent to Arthur Ashe Stadium, which will provide fans even more food and drink options as they roam the grounds at the US Open. Levy Restaurants, the official restaurateurs of the US Open, is offering a number of new menu items across the grounds, including new offerings in the Heineken Light Lounge.

    The Octagon: The Octagon, which is responsible for 50% of all merchandise sales at the US Open, has been entirely renovated. Point of sales will increase from 24 to 30, the interior display wall size will double in capacity and visual merchandising capabilities will be vastly improved.

    Doubles Exhibition: Following the success of the US Open Champions Invitational, the 2010 US Open will feature a special doubles exhibition match on Thursday evening, September 9, featuring tennis legends Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova competing against Pat Cash and Mats Wilander.

    Wheelchair Tennis: The 2010 US Open Wheelchair Competition, taking place September 9-12, will bring 20 of the worlds’ top wheelchair athletes.  Now in its fifth year, the competition will feature a Men’s, Women’s and Quad division and both singles and doubles play.  Wheelchair tennis follows the same rules as able-bodied tennis, except the ball can bounce twice.

    Record Prize Money: The 2010 US Open purse will top $22.6 million, marking the fourth consecutive year that the tournament’s prize money has increased by $1 million. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn a record $1.7 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series. The top three men’s and top three women’s finishers in the Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge will together earn up to an additional $2.6 million in bonus prize money, which provides a potential total payout of $25.2 million.

    US Open in Madison Square Park: After a year hiatus, the US Open will return to Madison Square Park, which will set up projection screens to view the event each day of the tournament from Friday, September 3 to Sunday, September 12.  The US Open in Madison Square Park will be presented by American Express.  * In event details released by the All England Club and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games, players competing in the Olympic tennis event at the All England Club will be permitted to wear colored clothing. “Players will not be required to wear tennis whites. They can wear their Olympic outfit,” said London 2012 director of sport Debbie Jevans.

    “It reflects that it’s an Olympic event,” explained Ian Ritchie, the club’s chief executive officer. “It was an easy thing to agree to, because it’s a recognition that it’s someone else’s event.”

    Other Olympic details released include sessions starting at 11 am daily, tickets going on sale next year with up to 26,000 spectators able to attend every day, a reduction from around 40,000 at the Wimbledon Championships.

    “I think there will be a great interest because Wimbledon is heavily over-subscribed every year and to some extent maybe it opens up a slightly different audience,” said All England Club chief executive Ian Ritchie. “We are enormously supportive of this but it is not the Championships at Wimbledon, it is a different event and it is meant to have its own approach. The idea was never to have a repeat of Wimbledon, this will have its own mark.”

    Matches will played on 12 courts including Centre, Court One and Court Two, with the new Court Three used for warming-up, and they will be played over the best-of-three sets, except for the men’s singles final which will be best of five.

  • Dr. Deborah MacFarlane was named as the New York Junior Tennis League’s new CEO, succeeding Jim O’Neill, who has been serving as interim acting President/CEO. Dr. MacFarlane has been a founder, leader, and builder of NYC nonprofit community organizations in the areas of education and community development. She is strongly committed to changing the lives of children through tennis. Dr. MacFarlane founded and served as president of HOPE Program; designing, developing, and implementing an employment-education program for homeless families. She also served as Senior Vice President of the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation where she established the SOBRO Center for Career Development for disadvantaged youth and adults.  She was president and CEO of Per Scholas, in the Bronx, where she established a nationally recognized computer technician training program serving hundreds of disadvantaged young adults each year. Most recently, she was Vice President Institutional Development for Channel Thirteen. Dr. MacFarlane is an active tennis player and currently competes in USTA League Tennis. As the largest youth tennis organization in the nation and the largest affiliate of the United States Tennis Association’s National Junior Tennis League, the NYJTL provides year-round free tennis and educational support programs in more than 400 schoolyards, public parks, community centers, and public housing developments in New York City and lower Westchester County. NYJTL is also the promoter and beneficiary of the EmblemHealth Bronx Open, an ITF $100,000 women’s tennis tournament.  The tournament will be played at Crotona Park, in the Bronx, New York from August 23-28, 2010.  Fans have the opportunity to watch WTA Tour professionals from around the world ranked in the top 100 who will play in the main draw at the 2010 US Open.
  • Teddy Tennis, the British developed tennis programme for children age 3½ to 5½, will be launched later this month in North America today ahead of the US Open. Teddy Tennis has teamed up with Patricia Jensen, renowned American tennis marketer and mother of the famous “Jensen Brothers” Murphy and Luke, to launch the programme, initially to a specially invited list of tennis professionals later this month at the Courtside Racquet Club in Lebanon, New Jersey. Teddy Tennis is a new teaching method that inspires young children aged 3½ – 5½ to play tennis and develop a love of sport.  It creatively connects to children through music, pictures, stories and teddy bear characters and it makes learning the elementary skills of tennis and sport in general FUN. Richard Bean, Co-founder of Teddy Tennis said “We are very excited about the Teddy Tennis launch in the US.   I have taught a number of American children at the Teddy Tennis Academy in West London and they absolutely love it; their parent’s only complaint is that there is nothing like it in the USA. Unlike the UK, tennis is experiencing a massive growth in the US and we are very confident that our program will be very well received there.” Teddy Tennis has been developed in Holland Park, West London and this year alone, over 800 children have participated in the programme.  Teddy Tennis teaching is made up of a series of lessons all of which use music and pictures to inspire the children to take part, to learn and to have fun. As well as getting children active and teaching them to play tennis, Teddy Tennis enhances co-ordination, grows confidence, develops communication skills and introduces young children to the concept of learning. Roger Draper Chief Executive of British Tennis said: “We think it is a great idea for the 3 and 5 year olds to build a foundation of good all round athletic fundamentals with music and pictures to help the youngsters understand the learning experience of tennis, we wish them well in their venture.”

MY FAVORITE FRANCESCA SCHIAVONE STORY

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By Randy Walker

Francesca Schiavone is the first Italian woman to play in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament in the Open era (since 1968). After looking through the pages of THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com) and scanning through the results from the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of all of the major singles tournaments, I discovered that she is the third Italian woman to reach the singles semifinal of a major of all-time, joining Annelies Bossi, a losing semifinalist at the 1949 French, and Silvana Lazzarino, a losing semifinalist at the 1954 French (she lost to Maureen Connolly, 6-0, 6-1).

My favorite story involving Schiavone, as documented in my book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) is from September, 4, 2003, when Schiavone completed, and won, the first-ever four-day match at the US Open when she finished off Ai Sugiyama 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-2 in the round of 16. The match began four days earlier on Monday, Sept. 1 on Louis Armstrong Stadium and finally concluded on Court No. 10 after the two players go on and off the courts seven times during four days of rain at the USTA National Tennis Center.

Sugiyama actually lead 7-6, 5-4 when the match resumed on September 4. However, Schiavone won three straight games to win the second set and further elongate the encounter. With Sugiyama leading 2-0 in the third set, another strange incident happened as a ball boy’s misguided aim on a thrown ball hit the chair umpire Lynn Welch in the face, knocking off her glasses and cutting her nose, causing for another delay in play.

As Chris Clary from the New York Times then reported, “Schiavone sprinted off to find ice and Sugiyama dug into her tennis bag for a plastic bag to hold it. ”What else can happen?” Schiavone said on court. How about more rain? When play resumed several minutes later, the drizzle that has made Flushing Meadows seem like an American franchise of Wimbledon this week had returned. Before Schiavone and Sugiyama could finish the next game, they were forced off the court once more with Sugiyama leading by 40-15 on her serve.”

After the 93-minute delay, Schiavone then, incredibly, won six games in a row to win the match. Her reward? She was forced to play on only three-and-a-half hours rest that night  in the quarterfinals against Jennifer Capriati, where she lost 6-1, 6-3 in 67 minutes.

Randy Walker is a communications and marketing specialist, writer, tennis historian and the managing partner of New Chapter Media – www.NewChapterMedia.com. He was a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Tennis Association’s marketing and communications division where he was worked as the press officer for 22 U.S. Davis Cup ties, three Olympic tennis teams and was an integral part of USTA media services team for 14 US Opens. He is the author of the book ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY.