With Impressive Win at Western & Southern Financial Group Masters, Roddick Will Play for Potential $1 Million Prize Money Bonus at US Open
White Plains, N.Y., August 20, 2006 – Andy Roddick used a dominating performance at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters to capture his second consecutive US Open Series title with a win in Sunday’s final against Juan Carlos Ferrero (6-3, 6-4).
During his run to the title, Roddick used wins against Series leaders
Andy Murray and
Fernando Gonzalez to vault atop the standings and then clinch the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge. Roddick’s summer also included an appearance in the final at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis and a quarterfinal at the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. As the winner of the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge, Roddick will compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the US Open and a total possible payout of $2.2 million.
Fernando Gonzalez finished second, with Andy Murray guaranteed third-place with one more week of play at the Pilot Pen in New Haven, Conn.
Click here for the full US Open Series standings.
On the women’s side, the Series will come down to the final week at the Pilot Pen. Martina Hingis and Ana Ivanovic will play their rain-delayed final at the Rogers Cup on Monday (coverage begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2), with the winning player taking the lead in the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge. If Hingis wins, Patty Schnyder and Elena Dementieva both still have an opportunity to take over first with tournament victories in New Haven. If Ivanovic wins, only Schnyder has enough points to overtake Ivanovic for first with a tournament title.
Next on the US Open Series: The US Open Series concludes this week with Week Six at the combined Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut, featuring both men’s and women’s events. The men’s event features defending champion James Blake as the top seed, while the women’s draw features seven of the world’s top 10-ranked players. ESPN2 will provide 14 hours of coverage starting on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. The finals will air Saturday at 12 noon on CBS and 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
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.