NEW YORK (Aug. 18, 2020) – The Western & Southern Open will be showcased with more than 90 hours of live coverage as both ESPN and Tennis Channel will carry a full week of the action when the 2020 tournament takes place Aug. 20-28 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

Both networks will carry seven days of main draw action beginning with the opening rounds on Aug. 22 through the championship matches on the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 28.

Opening day of the tournament, Saturday, Aug. 22, will be covered by Tennis Channel with a full day of coverage from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. The tournament will also air on ESPN from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. before coverage shifts to ESPN2 until 9 p.m.

Tennis Channel will continue with full day coverage on Sunday Aug. 23 and Monday Aug. 24. ESPN2 will carry Sunday’s action from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. and then will be on air from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Monday.

ESPN2 will then cover a full day of singles action on Tuesday, Aug. 25 then the first three quarterfinals on Wednesday, Aug 26 beginning at 11 a.m. each day. Tennis Channel will broadcast doubles on those days as well as the final singles quarterfinal in prime time on Aug. 26.

The singles semifinals will be shown on ESPN2 on Thursday, Aug. 27, with back-to-back WTA matches starting at 11 a.m. followed by the ATP Tour not before 3 p.m. Tennis Channel’s coverage of the doubles semifinals begins with the men’s matches at noon followed by the WTA semifinals not before 3 pm.

The singles champions will be crowned on Friday, Aug. 28 on ESPN2, with the WTA final being held at 2 p.m. followed by the ATP Tour title match at 4 p.m. Tennis Channel will carry the doubles final on Friday, Aug. 28, providing coverage of the ATP championship at 2 p.m. followed by the WTA final at 4 p.m.

ESPN’s commentating team will include 1989 Western & Southern Open singles champion Brad Gilbert along with 1990 doubles winner Darren Cahill, two-time doubles finalist Patrick McEnroe and 2010 doubles runner-up Rennae Stubbs. They will be joined by Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Fowler, Jason Goodall and Chris McKendry.

Tennis Channel’s announcers include two-time Western & Southern Open singles champion Andy Roddick (2003, 2006) along with 2004 winner Lindsay Davenport and 1991 semifinalist Jim Courier. Joining that trio will be Prakash Amritraj, Paul Annacone, Brett Haber, Steve Weissman and Ari Wolfe.

Below is intended domestic broadcast schedule for the 2020 Western & Southern Open (subject to change):

On top of this domestic coverage, the Western & Southern Open will be delivered to a global audience in more than 160 countries.

Tennis Channel’s coverage plans will also include more than 90 hours of encore presentations during tournament week.  

There are 10 total former champions entered in the men’s and women’s singles draws for the 2020 Western & Southern Open. The ATP field includes defending champion Daniil Medvedev along with Novak Djokovic (2018 winner), Grigor Dimitrov (2017), Marin Cilic (2016) and two-time champion Andy Murray (2008, 11).

Two-time champion Serena Williams (2014-15) will join defending champion Madison Keys, and past winners Karolina Pliskova (2016), Victoria Azarenka (2013) and Kim Clijsters (2010) in the WTA field.

The 2019 Western & Southern Open doubles champions – the WTA’s Lucie Hradecka and Andreja Klepac and ATP Tour’s Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek – lead the entrants in the 2020 doubles fields.

About the Western & Southern Open

The Western & Southern Open takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, 20 miles north of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio. The tournament is one of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 events on the men's tour and a Premier 5 event for the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The W&S Open is the largest annual summer sporting event in the US Midwest, hosting fans from all 50 states and more than 35 countries with more than 50 million global viewers in more than 160 countries. The tournament is also one of the last stops on the US Open Series before the US Open in New York. Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $11 million to various beneficiaries including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. For more information, visit www.wsopen.com.

About the US Open Series

The US Open Series serves as a true “regular season” of summer tennis in North America, linking nine summer WTA and ATP Tour tournaments to the US Open. Featuring a cohesive weekly schedule, the Series centralizes the way tennis is viewed in North America, across multiple television and digital platforms. Fans will see today's top champions go head-to-head with tomorrow's emerging stars, as storylines develop throughout the summer season. Each tournament also engages its local community with a variety of outreach initiatives, including grass-roots youth tennis clinics and activities.

About the WTA

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity for women in sports, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sport with more than 1,650 players representing 84 nations competing for a record $180 million in prize money. In 2019, the WTA was watched by a record breaking global audience of 700 million. The 2019 WTA competitive season includes 53 events and four Grand Slams in 28 countries and regions. The season culminates with the Shiseido WTA Finals Shenzhen, offering a $14 million total prize purse and honoring the season’s top singles and doubles players. Further information on the WTA can be found at www.wtatennis.com.

About the ATP

The ATP is the governing body of the men's professional tennis circuits - the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour. With 64 tournaments in 30 countries, the ATP Tour showcases the finest male athletes competing in the world’s most exciting venues. From Australia to Europe and the Americas to Asia, the stars of the 2020 ATP Tour will battle for prestigious titles and FedEx ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, as well as Grand Slams (non ATP events). The 2020 season launched with the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia and will culminate with only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams competing for the last title of the season at the Nitto ATP Finals in November. Held at The O2 in London, the event will officially crown the 2020 ATP Tour No. 1. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.

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