The action is as hot as the temperatures in New York where a star-studded Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM doubleheader of quarterfinals Wednesday, Sept. 3, on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET has five-time champion Serena Williams, the top seed, facing No. 11 Flavia Pennetta, followed by a final-worthy matchup of former champions, No. 1 Novak Djokovic (2011) and No. 8 Andy Murray (2012).  In fact, the two – born a week apart (Djokovic is older) in May 1987 – met in the US Open final just two years ago, twice in the Australian Open final (2011, 2013, both won by Djokovic) and in the historic 2013 Wimbledon Championship where Murray prevailed.  In 20 previous meetings, the Serb leads the Scot 12-8.

Wednesday’s action begins on ESPN at noon before switching to ESPN2 at 6 p.m.  The afternoon quarterfinals at the USTA National Tennis Center:
•    No. 16 Victoria Azarenka vs. No. 17 Ekaterina Makarova
•    No. 3 Stan Wawrinka vs. No. 10 Kei Nishikori
ESPN’s final day of singles match coverage is Thursday, with action on ESPN from noon – 6 p.m. and 8 – 11 p.m.

The evening doubleheaders from Arthur Ashe Stadium can also be viewed with the innovative four-screen option on ESPN3, “ESPN3 Surround,” a first at the US Open.  The four views:
•    the traditional view of the action from one end of the court
•    the view from above via SpiderCam
•    plus two smaller boxes on the sides of the screen showing each player exclusively.

All the action on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available through WatchESPN.  Launched in October 2010, WatchESPN delivers live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Bases Loaded, Longhorn Network, SEC Network and SEC Network + on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.  It is currently accessible in 75 million households nationwide to fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription from AT&T U-verse® TV, Bright House Networks, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Charter, Comcast Xfinity TV, Cox, DISH, Google Fiber, Mediacom, Midcontinent Communications, NCTC, NRTC, NTTC, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS TV.

Matches All Day on ESPN3
On Wednesday, ESPN3 will present matches from three courts – Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium and the Grandstand – beginning at 11 a.m., including Men’s and Women’s Quarterfinals; Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles;
and Boys’ and Girls’ Juniors

ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually.  It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.  The network is currently available to 95 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.  The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.

Championship Weekend at the US Open
On Sunday, Sept. 7, the US Open Men’s Doubles Championship will be seen on ESPN2 at 12:30 p.m.  The Bryan twins of California – Bob and Mike, the most decorated doubles tandem of all time – are seeking a 100th career title together, which would be their 16th Major title and sixth at the US Open.  Later that day at 8:30 p.m., SportsCenter at the US Open will review the Women’s Championship from that day and look ahead to the Men’s Championship.

ESPN & the US Open in 2015
In May 2013, ESPN and the USTA announced that ESPN would be the exclusive home in North and South America of the US Open from first ball through the women’s and men’s championships each summer from New York beginning in 2015.  ESPN has televised approximately100 hours of live US Open matches annually since 2009, and will air 130+  hours with the addition of day-long coverage of the “middle weekend” – Saturday, Sunday and Labor Day Monday – plus both the men’s and women’s semifinals and finals.  The 11-year agreement also includes expanded digital and international rights.

ESPN – All Four Slams, All In One Place
Tennis has been part of ESPN since its first week on the air and provided many memorable moments, but it has never been as important as today, with the US Open joining the lineup in 2009, giving ESPN all four Grand Slam events, something no other U.S. network has ever done, let alone in one year. ESPN has presented the Australian Open since 1984, the French Open since 2002 (plus 1986 – 1993), and Wimbledon since 2003, with exclusivity for live television with all other rights extended in a 12-year agreement starting in 2012.  Exclusivity for the US Open in an 11-year agreement begins in 2015.  ESPN3 delivers an unmatched multi-screen presentation of the sport’s four majors, all ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments, WTA Premier Events and season-ending championships for both tours.

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