Roddick Wins Title in Washington, D.C.; Sharapova Victorious in San Diego
Series Continues as Men Move to Montreal and Women Shift to Los Angeles; Back-to-Back Finals to Be Broadcast on ESPN2
Two-time defending US Open Series champion Andy Roddick, the top seed at this week’s Legg Mason Tennis Classic, captured his fourth career US Open Series title with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over young American John Isner in the Washington, D.C. final.
Roddick, who also advanced to the semifinals at last week’s Indianapolis Tennis Championships, now takes the lead through Week Three of the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge. Isner, who finished his collegiate career at the University of Georgia ranked No. 2 in the nation, recently turned pro and has experienced early success on the USTA Pro Circuit with two singles titles, including the $50,000 Lexington Challenger last month.
On the women’s side, No. 1 seed Maria Sharapova won the Acura Classic in San Diego with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 victory over No. 11 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland. With the victory, Sharapova moves into first place in the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge. Sharapova finished the 2006 US Open Series season in second place and therefore earned a $500,000 bonus by also winning the 2006 US Open singles title.
Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic and Dmitry Tursunov of Russia, winners of the first two men’s events, are now tied for second place in the men’s standings, while James Blake is close behind in fourth. Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, who faced Sharapova in the semifinals, falls to second place in the women’s standings and is followed by Schnyder.
The top three finishers of the US Open Series will compete for more than $2.6 million in bonus prize money at the 2007 US Open, with the men's and women's winners each competing for $1 million in bonus prize money.
The US Open Series leaders after Week Three are as follows:
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2007 Men's Standings
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2007 Women's Standings
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NOTE: Only players with points in two (2) US Open Series events are eligible for the final standings.
Next on the US Open Series: The US Open Series continues this week with the men playing in Montreal at the Rogers Masters -- including Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s first appearance on the US Open Series this summer -- while the women remain in California for the third and final week with the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles. ESPN2 will provide 28 hours of coverage this week beginning with early round action from Montreal on Wednesday from 1-5 p.m. ET. The men's final will air at 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday followed by the women's final at 5:00 p.m. ET.
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.
In 2006, Andy Roddick captured his second straight US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge and claimed $500,000 in bonus prize money for his runner-up finish at the 2006 US Open for a total payout of $1.1 million. Maria Sharapova, who finished second in the women’s final US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge standings, also took home $500,000 on top of the $1.2 million she received for winning the women's singles tournament for a total payout of $1.7 million.