·         ESPN:  First Ball to Last Ball, Exclusive Daily Live Action

·         130+ Hours on TV plus 1,300 on ESPN3 / ESPN App

·         Opening Night Performance by Shania Twain

·         Tuesday:  Nadal in Late Afternoon; Madison Keys, Roger Federer in Prime-Time Matches

The long-anticipated return of five-time Major champion Maria Sharapova to a Grand Slam tournament – across the net from an opponent no less than the No. 2 seed Simona Halep – headlines opening night under the stars – and in front of an Arthur Ashe Stadium full of stars – on ESPN2 on Monday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. ET.  That match will be followed by 20-year old Alexander “Sascah” Zverev, the No. 4 seed from Germany, playing Darian King of Barbados.

ESPN2’s live coverage of the opening Monday night will include a performance from Arthur Ashe Stadium by Shania Twain.  Actor and tennis fan Alec Baldwin will once again host Opening Night.

Earlier in the day (on ESPN3 at 11 a.m., ESPN at 1 p.m.), key players in action include Wimbledon champ and No. 3 Garbiñe Muguruza, two-time Wimbledon winner No. 13 Petra Kvitova, 2014 US Open champ No. 5 Marin Cilic, seven-time Major champion Venus Williams and her fellow Americans No. 10 John Isner, Sloane Stephens and No. 13 Jack Sock.

ESPN has exclusive live action to the US Open beginning Monday, Aug. 28, with 130 hours on television and 1,300 more on ESPN3 and streaming on the ESPN app.  The daily action from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will culminate with the Women’s Championship on Saturday, Sept. 9, and the Men’s Championship on Sunday, Sept. 10, both at 4 p.m. ET.

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s play, No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal will play the third match on Ashe, likely in late afternoon, against Dusan Lajovic of Serbia.  That night, the prime-time doubleheader will feature American and No. 15 Madison Keys facing Elise Mertens of Belgium, followed by No. 3 Roger Federer against Frances Tiafoe, the highly touted 19-year old from Maryland.

Day One Matchups

ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM – 11 a.m.

WOMEN’S SINGLES – R1: Varvara Lepchenko (USA) vs. Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) [3]

MEN’S SINGLES – R1: Tennys Sandgren (USA) vs. Marin Cilic (CRO) [5]

WOMEN’S SINGLES – R1: Viktoria Kuzmova (SVK) vs. Venus Williams (USA) [9]

ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM – 7 p.m.

2017 US OPEN OPENING CEREMONY

WOMEN’S SINGLES – R1: Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Simona Halep (ROU) [2]

MEN’S SINGLES – R1: Darian King (BAR) vs. Alexander Zverev (GER) [4]

LOUIS ARMSTRONG STADIUM – 11 a.m.

WOMEN’S SINGLES – R1: Petra Kvitova (CZE) [13] vs. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)

MEN’S SINGLES – R1 (not before: 1 p.m.):  Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) vs. John Isner (USA) [10]

WOMEN’S SINGLES – R1:  Sloane Stephens (USA) vs. Roberta Vinci (ITA)

MEN’S SINGLES – R1  (not before 5 p.m.):  Jack Sock (USA) [13] vs. Jordan Thompson (AUS)

Quick Links

• Complete preview of ESPN at the US Open
• Media Conference Call with Chrissie Evert and John McEnroe
• Media Conference Call with Cliff Drysdale, Brad Gilbert and Patrick McEnroe:   https://es.pn/2wCHO8y

ESPN’s Schedule Highlights

• The television coverage starts on ESPN at 1 p.m. ET each weekday the first week (except Thursday, on ESPN2), and will continue nonstop – transitioning at 6 p.m. to ESPN2 (except Tuesday) – for at least 10 hours through both the day and the 7 p.m. Primetime at the US Open presented by IBM sessions until play is concluded.
• Play will begin each day on ESPN3 and streaming on the ESPN app – at 11 a.m. through Wednesday, Sept. 6, and at noon the final four days – totaling 1,300 hours of action from up to 12 courts simultaneously. For the first five days, full coverage of the matches on TV courts for the first two hours of action are exclusive to ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
• ESPN3 will again provide a feed dedicated to press conferences and other events in the main press conference room at the Bud Collins Media Center all day, every day, beginning with media day Saturday, Aug. 26.

ESPN & the 2017 US Open

-30-