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| Andre Agassi will go for a sixth title in his final appearance at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic© Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images |
The "greatest road trip in sports" -- the 2006 US Open Series -- moves to California this week, with the men in action at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles and the women competing at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.
ESPN2 will provide 12 hours of live coverage from both events, starting with men’s quarterfinals Friday from 4–6 p.m. EST. The women's final will air at 3 p.m. EST Sunday, followed by the men's final at 5 p.m. See below for a complete TV schedule from both tournaments.
The women, led by world No. 2 and defending US Open Series champion Kim Clijsters, kick off 2006 US Open Series play at the Bank of the West Classic. Patty Schnyder, Nicole Vaidisova and Daniela Hantuchova are among the other players joining Clijsters in the draw.
For the men, Andre Agassi begins his final US Open Series season before his planned retirement following the US Open. Along with Agassi, the Countrywide Classic boasts an impressive field, including Lleyton Hewitt, Fernando Gonzalez, Tommy Haas, Robby Ginepri and Andy Roddick, who accepted a wild card and is the top seed.
The US Open Series is the six-week summer tennis season linking 10 major ATP and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments to the US Open. Since its inception in 2004, the six-week US Open Series has doubled television viewership and increased attendance, while generating new corporate partnerships for the sport.
Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters were the winners of the 2005 US Open Series, with Clijsters doubling her prize money at the US Open to earn $2.2 million, the largest purse in women’s sports history. US Open Series sponsors include American Express, Lever 2000, MassMutual Financial Group and Olympus.