Roddick's Run to Final in Cincinnati Clinches US Open Series Title; Loses to World No. 1 Roger Federer in Final
Clijsters Clinches US Open Series Title in Toronto; Defeats Justine Henin-Hardenne in Final
FLUSHING, N.Y., August 21, 2005 -- The USTA today announced that Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters have won the 2005 US Open Series through their runs to the finals this weekend at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati and the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Roddick and Clijsters both will compete for double prize money at the 2005 US Open with the potential to win a record $2.2 million -- the highest winner's share in men's and women's sports history.
Roddick clinched the US Open Series men's title by advancing to the final in Cincinnati following his win at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C., two weeks ago. Roddick today was defeated by defending US Open Champion and World No. 1 Roger Federer, 3-6, 7-5.
Clijsters' win in Toronto was her third US Open Series title this summer, having posted victories in the Series-opening Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, Calif., and the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles last week. Clijsters continued her domination this summer with a 7-5, 6-1 victory today over Justine Henin-Hardenne in a rematch of the 2003 US Open women's final.
Through this weekend, Roddick, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal hold the top three spots in the US Open Series Bonus Challenge standings; Clijsters, Mary Pierce and Ai Sugiyama lead the women. Roddick and Clijsters will play for double the prize money at the US Open. Should either win the US Open singles title, they would earn $2.2 million (double the $1.1 million US Open winner's purse). The second-place and third-place finishers in the US Open Series will receive 50% more and 25% more, respectively. The 2005 US Open Draw will take place at the United Nations Wednesday, August 24.
Click here for the 2005 US Open Series leaders through Sunday, August 21.
Next on the US Open Series: The US Open Series continues this week with Pilot Pen Tennis championships in New Haven -- the summer's only men's and women's combined event leading into a Grand Slam. ESPN2 will broadcast 18 hours of coverage in HDTV this week starting with first round action Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET. The women's final will air live on Saturday on CBS at 1:00 ET; ESPN2 will broadcast the men's final Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET.
The US Open Series is the eight-week summer tennis season linking 10 major ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments to the US Open. Television viewership for the 2005 US Open Series has generated significant increases this summer, attracting more than 20 million television viewers.
The 2005 US Open begins Monday, August 29 at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., and is expected to attract over 625,000 fans, making it the highest attended annual sporting event in the world. More than 86 million viewers watched the 2004 US Open on CBS Sports and USA Network, and international broadcasts reached 199 countries. New fan enhancements at the 2005 tournament will feature a multi-million dollar upgrade of the USTA National Tennis Center grounds, including the opening of the US Open Court of Champions attraction, a renovated South Plaza, and the introduction of “US Open Blue” courts.