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| New Photo For Home Page Clijsters or Nadal |
The “greatest road trip in sports” – the 2006 US Open Series – is now more than halfway to its final destination, with only three weeks left to go until the start of the US Open. And once again this week, the biggest stars in tennis will hit the courts, with the men competing at the Rogers Masters in Toronto and the women in action at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles.
ESPN2 will provide daily live coverage from the Rogers Masters, starting from the first round of play on Monday, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. EST, and continuing until the final, which airs Sunday from 3-5 p.m. EST. Live coverage of the JPMorgan Chase Open kicks off with the women's quarterfinals on Friday, from 3-5 p.m. EST, and concludes with the women's final on Sunday, scheduled to take place from 5-7 p.m. See below for a complete TV schedule from both tournaments.
At the Rogers Masters, four former champions are returning to compete for the 2006 trophy, including last year's winner Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer (2004), Andre Agassi (1994, 1995) and Marat Safin (2000). James Blake, Lleyton Hewitt, Tommy Haas and David Nalbandian are among the other players set for action in Toronto.
An outstanding field is also on tap for the women at the JPMorgan Chase Open, with entries that include Maria Sharapova, the winner of last week's Acura Classic, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Nadia Petrova and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
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.
*All times Eastern