- Eight Women in Fast-Paced Competition with 10-Point Matches
- Lineup also includes US Open Semifinalist Vandeweghe, Bartoli in First Step of her Comeback
- Champion Nets $250,000 in Winner-Take-All Earnings
Tonight at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Serena and Venus Williams headline the eight-woman field for a night of fast-paced tennis excitement from New York’s Madison Square Garden – Tie Break Tens (was streamed live Monday night on the ESPN App). The champion will take home $250,000 in the winner-take-all format. The event also includes American CoCo Vandeweghe and Marion Bartoli as she begins a surprising comeback to tennis.
Tie Break Tens, called a “quick-fire version of the sport,” debuted in 2015. There are no games and no sets. Each “match” is to 10 points (win by two) in a single-elimination tournament format to determine the champion.
Serena is in the beginning stage of a return to action after giving birth last September. Before playing doubles in the recent Fed Cup vs. the Netherlands, her last competitive match was defeating her sister for the 2017 Australian Open title for her 23rd Major championship. Venus went on to also reach the final at Wimbledon and the semifinals at the US Open. She is currently ranked No. 8 in the world.
In addition to the Williams Sisters, the field also includes:
- CoCo Vandeweghe. The 26-year-old Californian, currently ranked No. 17 in the world, reached the semifinals of the 2017 Australian and US Opens.
- Marion Bartoli, the 2013 Wimbledon champion who has not played competitively since her sudden retirement only a few weeks after that event. After battling a severe illness in the interim, the 33-year-old announced in December she was planning to return to WTA play.
- 4 in the world Elina Svitolina of Ukraine who won five WTA titles in 2017.
- Sorana Cirstea, the 27-year-old from Romania currently ranked No. 35 has been ranked as high as No. 21.
- Shuai Zhang, the 29-year old from China who is ranked No. 33 and was as high as No. 23.
- Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, who reached a career high ranking of No. 5. The 34-year old retired last summer.
ESPN’s presentation will be hosted by ESPN’s Hannah Storm and Mardy Fish. The matches will be called by Mark Petchey and Chanda Rubin.
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