2018 US Open
As originally written by Tony Miller
The 51st United States Open tennis tournament begins Monday morning, Aug. 27, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. The following 14 days will include 254 men's and women's singles matches, 126 men's and women's doubles matches and 31 mixed doubles matches at the year's fourth Grand Slam.
ESPN release: https://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2018/08/tennis-in-the-big-apple-espn-serves-first-ball-to-last-ball-exclusively-at-the-50th-anniversary-us-open/
Tennis Channel release (no live matches): http://www.tennispanorama.com/archives/63735
Rafael Nadal is the top seed in men's singles, in addition to the defending champion. The Spaniard faces countryman David Ferrer, a former world number 3 playing his final Grand Slam tournament in the first round. Nadal enters the event with a 1,320-point lead over Roger Federer in the world rankings, which means he will also leave the event as the top-ranked player unless Federer wins the event and Nadal fails to reach the semifinals. Federer has a similarly-sized lead over third-ranked Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Alexander Zverev of Germany and Kevin Anderson of South Africa round out the top five, which is where I was going to stop but Novak Djokovic is sixth.
There are two seeded American men -- John Isner is 11th and Jack Sock is 18th -- while Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson are the second- and third- highest-ranked players outside of the 32 seeds.
Simona Halep of Romania enters as the top women's seed; she will leave as the top-ranked player as well thanks to a 2,146-point lead over second-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. Defending champion Sloane Stephens of the United States is seeded third, followed by Angelique Kerber of Germany and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
Four more American women are among the 32 seeds: Madison Keys is 14th, Venus Williams 16th, Serena Williams 17th and Coco Vandeweghe 24th. (Serena Williams is ranked 26th in the world after missing most of the first half of 2018 following childbirth, but was seeded 17th by the organizing committee.)
The centerpiece of the National Tennis Center is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which was built in 1997 and seats 23,771. A new Louis Armstrong Stadium will debut as the second stadium court, seating 14,000 people and -- more importantly for scheduling purposes -- allowing the US Open to join the Australian Open in having two retractable-roofed courts. Wimbledon is expected to join that group next year as well.
The Grandstand court holds 8,125 spectators as the third stadium court. Court 17, which seats 2,500, is a clear fourth on the hierarchy. The so-called outer courts, numbered 4 through 16, are mostly located between the Grandstand and Court 17.
ESPN holds the broadcasting rights to the tournament, as it will each year through 2025. All courts will be covered with 130 hours of linear TV coverage and more than 1,300 hours on the ESPN app. The split between ESPN3 and ESPN+ is not detailed in ESPN's press release, but I'd expect it to be similar to Wimbledon -- the stadium courts and one outer court on ESPN3, the rest on ESPN+.
Commentators
ESPN's crew includes host Chris McKendry and primary match-caller Chris Fowler. Cliff Drysdale, Jason Goodall, Patrick McEnroe, Tom Rinaldi and Pam Shriver will also handle play-by-play. The analyst roster includes Darren Cahill, Chrissie Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez, Mardy Fish, Brad Gilbert, John McEnroe, Patrick Moratoglou and Rennae Stubbs. Cahill has worked only men's matches since he began coaching Halep.
Broadcast Schedule
The on-air schedule for linear TV includes an expansion on each of the first five days, with coverage beginning at noon rather than 1 p.m.; the later start time had been a holdover from when the Tennis Channel had rights to the first two hours. ESPN3 and ESPN+ will be on whenever there are matches, beginning at 11 a.m. through Wednesday, Sept. 5, and noon thereafter.
Monday, Aug. 27 -- ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm
Tuesday, Aug. 28 -- ESPN, noon-11pm
Wednesday, Aug. 29 -- ESPN, noon-11pm
Thursday, Aug. 30 -- ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm
Friday, Aug. 31 -- ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm
Saturday, Sept. 1 -- ESPN2, 11am-11pm
Sunday, Sept. 2 -- ESPN, 11am-7pm; ESPN2, 7-11pm
Monday, Sept. 3 -- ESPN2, 11am-11pm
Tuesday, Sept. 4 -- ESPN, noon-6pm and 7-11pm
Wednesday, Sept. 5 -- ESPN, noon-6pm and 7-11pm
Thursday, Sept. 6 -- ESPN, 7-11pm (women's semifinals)
Friday, Sept. 7 -- ESPN2, noon-2pm (men's doubles final); ESPN, 4-10pm (men's semifinals)
Saturday, Sept. 8 -- ESPN, 4pm (women's singles final)
Sunday, Sept. 9 -- ESPN2, 1-3pm (women's doubles final); ESPN, 4pm (men's singles final)
Day 1 - Monday, August 27th
On the docket:
32 men's matches (88 court-hours)
32 women's matches (53.3 court-hours)
64 matches, 141.3 hours of tennis
Plus 18.8 hours worth of changeovers (including people arriving on court and post-match interviews) for a total of 160.1 hours scheduled.
Men's singles: 16 seeds, 11 Americans
Women's singles: 16 seeds, 11 Americans
Weather: Sunny, high of 90; winds southwest at 5-9 mph; National Weather Service precipitation meter at 0% for the entire day.
TV: ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm; ESPN3 and ESPN+ all day.
ESPN
I started watching the tape back at 1:33... will come back and get the first hour-plus later in the evening
12:00 -- Sign-on tease -- Chris McKendry
12:01 - 1 - Halep/Kanepi (LA) - Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez - end #1 at 12:26
12:34 -- Intended open into studio segment -- Chris McKendry, Chrissie Evert, Patrick McEnroe
12:55 - 2 - Dimitrov/Wawrinka (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, John McEnroe, Jason Goodall
1:04 -- Tournament update -- McKendry
1:10 - 3 - Sock/Andreozzi (17) -- Cliff Drysdale, John McEnroe -- end #2 at 1:14
1:16 -- Dimitrov/Wawrinka
1:42 - 4 - Murray/Duckworth (LA) - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert
<1:46 - 5 - Isner/Klahn split-screen from Grandstand - to 1:52>
2:00 -- Chris McKendry teases upcoming Nadal, Djokovic, Federer matches
2:02 -- Murray/Duckworth
<2:20 -- Dimitrov/Wawrinka split-screen - to 2:24>
2:34 -- Dimitrov/Wawrinka -- end #3 at 2:39
2:47 -- Studio (Halep/Kanepi) -- McKendry, Evert
2:56 -- Isner/Klahn -- end #4 at 2:59
3:04 - 6 - V.Williams/Kuznetsova (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver (pre/CSR/post) -- first ball 3:11
3:23 -- Murray/Duckworth
3:31 -- V.Williams/Kuznetsova
4:02 -- Murray/Duckworth -- end #5 at 4:08 -- post-match interview with someone from US Open
4:18 -- Tournament update -- McKendry
4:23 -- V.Williams/Kuznetsova
5:14 -- McKendry and Patrick Moratoglou in studio with John Isner (during WTA heat-rule break in V.Williams match)
5:18 -- V.Williams/Kuznetsova resumes
5:34 -- Querrey/Seppi update (Querrey retired in fourth set) -- McKendry, Evert
5:35 -- Stephens/Rodina (LA) update
5:48 - 7 - Stephens/Rodina (LA) - Patrick McEnroe, Bethanie Mattek-Sands - end #6 at 5:49
5:50 -- S.Williams/Kuznetsova
6:00 -- McKendry, Evert tease S.Williams/Linette
6:02 -- S.Williams/Kuznetsova -- end #7 at 6:07
6:11 -- Drysdale plugs the primetime show on ESPN2
6:12 -- Sign off
ESPN2
6:00 -- SportsCenter starts, having been been bumped off ESPN by tennis overrun
6:12 -- Tennis sign-on -- Chris McKendry
6:17 -- Highlights curated by Watson -- McKendry
6:18 -- Studio -- McKendry, Chrissie Evert
6:34 - 1 - Shapovalov/Auger-Aliassime (GS) - Jason Goodall, Brad Gilbert
7:13 -- Primetime sign-on -- McKendry
7:15 -- Studio -- McKendry, Chrissie Evert, John McEnroe
7:31 -- Opening ceremony (AA)
7:59 - 2 - S.Williams/Linette (AA) - Chris Fowler, Chrissie Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez - first ball 8:14, end #1 at 9:25
8:11 -- Shapovalov/Auger-Aliassime update (Auger-Aliassime retires in third set)
<8:38 - 3 - Azarenka/Kuzmova split-screen (LA) - Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver -- end #1 at 8:41>
9:34 -- Studio -- McKendry, Pam Shriver, joined at 9:37 by Serena Williams
9:45 - 4 - Nadal/Ferrer (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert - first ball 9:48
10:03 - 5 - Del Potro/Young (LA) - Patrick McEnroe, Jason Goodall
10:05 -- Anderson/Harrison and Thiem/Basic updates -- McEnroe
10:08 -- Nadal/Ferrer
10:36 -- Del Potro/Young update
10:49 -- Del Potro/Young -- end #2 at 10:52
10:53 -- Nadal/Ferrer -- end #3 by Ferrer retirement during commercial that ran 11:10-11:12
Gilbert did post-match interviews with both Ferrer and Nadal.
11:22 -- Sign-off
Day 2 - Tuesday, August 28th
Tuesday, Aug. 28. Day 2.
On the docket:
32 men's matches (88 court-hours)
32 women's matches (53.3 court-hours)
64 matches, 141.3 hours of tennis
Plus 18.8 hours worth of changeovers (including people arriving on court and post-match interviews) for a total of 160.1 hours scheduled.
Men's singles: 16 seeds, 6 Americans
Women's singles: 16 seeds, 10 Americans
Weather: Sunny, high of 95; winds southwest at 7-10 mph; National Weather Service precipitation meter at or below 7% for the entire day.
TV: ESPN from noon until play is over (they eyeball 11:00, I say more like midnight). ESPN3 and ESPN+ all day.
Fowler and John McEnroe on the call for the Djokovic/Fucsovics match, per on-air mention Monday night.
12:00 -- Tease -- Tom Rinaldi
12:01 -- Opening montage
12:02 -- Schedule rundown -- Rinaldi
12:03 -- "Studio" from Ashe booth -- Tom Rinaldi, Chrissie Evert
12:15 - 1 - Wozniacki/Stosur (AA) -- Tom Rinaldi, Chrissie Evert, Brad Gilbert
<12:25 - 2 - Ostapenko/Petkovic (LA) split-screen -- Pam Shriver, Bethanie Mattek-Sands>
<12:25 - 3 - Kvitova/Wickmayer (17) split-screen -- Pam Shriver, Bethanie Mattek-Sands>
12:27 -- Kvitova/Wickmayer full-screen -- end #1 at 12:28
12:28 -- Ostapenko/Petkovic
12:32 -- Tsurenko/Van Uytvanck update -- Rinaldi
12:33 -- Wozniacki/Stosur
12:56 -- Gasquet/Sugita update
12:57 -- Update that men's draw is now using a heat rule similar to the women.
12:59 -- Ostapenko/Petkovic -- end #2 at 1:30
1:23 -- Wozniacki/Stosur update
1:32 -- Ostapenko post-match interview
1:36 -- Wozniacki/Stosur -- end #3 at 1:38
1:47 -- Tournament update -- Chris McKendry
1:48 -- Studio -- McKendry, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez
1:51 -- joined by Andy Murray
2:03 - 4 - Djokovic/Fucsovics (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Darren Cahill - first ball 2:05
2:26 - 5 - Kerber/Gasparyan (LA) - Pam Shriver, Bethanie Mattek-Sands
2:36 -- Djokovic/Fucsovics
<2:40 -- Kerber/Gasparyan split-screen>
2:44 -- Kerber/Gasparyan full-screen
<2:45 - 6 - Vandeweghe/Flipkens split-screen (17) - Pam Shriver, Bethanie Mattek-Sands - to 2:48>
2:48 -- Vandeweghe/Flipkens -- end #4 at 2:50
2:56 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Fernandez
2:59 -- Djokovic/Fucsovics
3:36 -- Kerber/Gasparyan -- end #5 at 3:37
3:38 -- Djokovic/Fucsovics
4:05 -- Primetime teaser
4:35 - 7 - A.Zverev/Polansky (LA) - Cliff Drysdale, Brad Gilbert (during Djokovic/Fucsovics heat break)
4:39 -- Djokovic/Fucsovics -- resumes 4:40, end #6 at 5:05
5:17 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Fernandez
5:23 -- Tournament update -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Fernandez
5:29 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Fernandez
5:32 -- A.Zverev/Polansky -- end #7 at 5:36
5:42 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Fernandez
5:49 - 8 - Mannarino/Tiafoe (GS) - Jason Goodall, Mardy Fish
5:57 -- Watson-curated highlights
5:58 -- Mannarino/Tiafoe
6:54 -- Baghdatis/Youzhny update
7:00 -- Primetime open -- McKendry
7:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, Fernandez, Darren Cahill
7:06 -- Pre-match interviews with Federer and Nishioka -- Tom Rinaldi
7:13 -- Mannarino/Tiafoe update
7:14 - 9 - Federer/Nishioka (AA) -- Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe, Tom Rinaldi - first ball 7:16
7:26 -- Mannarino/Tiafoe update
7:37 - 10 - Kyrgios/Albot (LA) - Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert
7:38 -- Federer/Nishioka
<7:52 -- Mannarino/Tiafoe split-screen -- end #8 at 7:56 -- to 7:57>
7:59 -- Kyrgios/Albot
8:01 -- Federer/Nishioka -- end #9 at 9:09
<8:03 -- Kyrgios/Albot split-screen -- to 8:05>
<8:34 -- Kyrgios/Albot split-screen -- to 8:34>
9:19 -- Kyrgios/Albot
<9:25 -- Keys/Parmentier pre-match interviews split-screen -- Pam Shriver>
9:33 - 11 - Keys/Parmentier (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver
9:34 -- Kyrgios/Albot -- end #10 at 9:42
9:50 -- Keys/Parmentier
<9:55 -- Sharapova/Schnyder pre-match interviews split-screen -- Rennae Stubbs>
9:58 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe with Roger Federer
10:10 -- Keys/Parmentier
10:20 - 12 - Sharapova/Schnyder (LA) - Chris Fowler, Chrissie Evert, Rennae Stubbs
10:46 -- Keys/Parmentier -- end #11 at 11:10
11:16 -- Sharapova/Schnyder -- end #12 at 11:56
12:00 -- Sign-off
Day 3 - Wednesday, August 29th
On the docket:
16 men's singles second-round matches (44 court-hours)
16 women's singles second-round matches (26.7 court-hours)
18 men's doubles first-round matches (30 court-hours)
16 women's doubles first-round matches (26.7 court-hours)
66 matches and 127.3 hours of actual tennis
Approximately 16.9 hours of match changeovers, warmups and interviews
For a total of 147.25 court-hours
Men's singles: 12 seeds, 5 Americans
Women's singles: 13 seeds, 6 Americans
Weather: Miserable again. Sunny, high of 96, heat index north of 100, winds 7-11 mph from the southwest, precipitation chance tops out at 6%.
TV: ESPN from noon to (11 p.m., the heat death of the universe or the end of play, whichever comes second)
12:00 -- Open (including obligatory 16-box shot of all the courts) -- Chris Fowler
12:03 -- "Studio" segment from Ashe booth -- Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez
12:08 - 1 - Wawrinka/Humbert (GS) - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert
12:16 -- Tournament update -- Fowler
12:17 - 2 - Svitolina/Maria (LA) - Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez - end #1 at 12:20
12:24 -- Strycova/Arruabarrena update -- Fowler, Fernandez
12:24 - 3 - Stephens/Kalinina (AA) - Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez, xxxxxxxxx
12:37 - 4 - Gavrilova/Azarenka (17) - Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez - end #2 at 12:39
12:40 -- Stephens/Kalinina
<12:56 -- Wawrinka/Humbert split-screen -- to 12:57>
<1:13 - 5 - Tsitsipas/Medvedev (10) split-screen - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert - to 1:13 into heat break>
1:20 - 6 - V.Williams/Giorgi (LA) - Cliff Drysdale, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver
1:36 -- Stephens/Kalinina update
1:37 -- Wawrinka/Humbert update (in heat break)
1:48 -- Tsitsipas/Medvedev
<1:53 - 7 - Thiem/Johnson (17) split-screen - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert -- to 1:54>
<1:54 -- V.Williams/Giorgi split-screen>
1:55 -- V.Williams/Giorgi
1:59 -- Tsitsipas/Medvedev -- end #3 at 2:01
2:02 -- Stephens/Kalinina -- into heat break 2:14
<2:03 -- V.Williams/Giorgi split-screen -- to 2:04>
2:19 -- Chris McKendry, Jason Goodall on plaza
2:22 -- Wawrinka/Humbert -- end #4 at 2:37
<2:27 -- Thiem/Johnson split-screen -- to 2:28>
<2:29 -- V.Williams/Giorgi split-screen -- to 2:29>
<2:36 -- Stephens/Kalinina split-screen -- to 2:38>
2:38 -- Stephens/Kalinina
<2:39 -- V.Williams/Giorgi split-screen -- to 2:40>
2:47 -- V.Williams/Giorgi -- end #6 at 3:08
<2:57 -- Stephens/Kalinina split-screen -- end #5 at 2:59>
3:19 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall, Mary Joe Fernandez
Yes, really, this went on for 25 minutes.
3:49 - 8 - Verdasco/Murray (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert
4:10 -- Fritz/Kubler update (Kubler retired after rolling his ankle ... it hurt to watch)
4:11 -- Thiem/Johnson update starting 5th set
4:12 -- del Potro/Kudla update
<4:14 - 9 - del Potro/Kudla (LA) split-screen - Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill - to 4:15>
4:34 -- del Potro/Kudla and Thiem/Johnson updates
4:36 -- Thiem/Johnson -- end #7 at 4:37
4:38 -- del Potro/Kudla
4:42 -- Extreme heat policy update
4:43 -- Verdasco/Murray
4:52 -- Studio -- McKendry, Fernandez with Sloane Stephens
4:59 -- Verdasco/Murray
5:09 -- del Potro/Kudla -- end #8 at 5:34
5:39 - 10 - Isner/Jarry (GS) - Patrick McEnroe, Jason Goodall
5:43 -- Verdasco/Murray -- into heat break 5:46, resume 5:57
6:13 -- Isner/Jarry
6:23 -- Tournament update -- Fowler
6:25 -- Verdasco/Murray -- end #9 at 6:51
7:00 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry
7:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
7:19 -- Isner/Jarry -- Tom Rinaldi, Mardy Fish
7:43 -- Studio -- McKendry, Evert
7:45 -- Isner/Jarry
<7:48 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft pre-match interviews, split-screen -- Rennae Stubbs -- to 7:50>
7:57 - 11 - S.Williams/Witthoeft (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rennae Stubbs (courtside), Pam Shriver (roaming) - first ball 7:59
8:19 -- Isner/Jarry
<8:23 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft split-screen -- to 8:24>
8:24 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft
8:27 -- Isner/Jarry
<8:29 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft split-screen -- to 8:31>
8:31 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft
8:32 -- Isner/Jarry -- end #10 at 8:34
8:36 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft
8:53 - 12 - Shapovalov/Seppi (5) - Jason Goodall, Brad Gilbert
<8:55 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft split-screen -- to 8:56>
8:57 -- S.Williams/Witthoeft -- end #12 at 9:07
<9:00 -- Shapovalov/Seppi split-screen -- end #11 at 9:01>
9:18 -- Tournament update -- McKendry
9:20 - 13 - Sock/Basilashvili (LA) - Jason Goodall, Brad Gilbert
<9:24 -- Nadal/Pospisil pre-match interviews, split-screen -- Tom Rinaldi -- to 9:26>
9:32 - 14 - Nadal/Pospisil (AA) - Chris Fowler, Darren Cahill, Pam Shriver (CSR), Tom Rinaldi (post) - first ball 9:35
<9:53 -- Sock/Basilashvili split-screen -- to 9:54>
9:54 -- Sock/Basilashvili
9:55 -- Nadal/Pospisil
<9:57 -- Sock/Basilashvili split-screen -- to 10:02>
10:02 -- Sock/Basilashvili
10:05 -- Nadal/Pospisil
<10:07 -- Sock/Basilashvili split-screen -- to 10:10>
10:10 -- Sock/Basilashvili -- end #13 at 10:16
10:19 -- Highlights, curated by Watson
10:22 -- Nadal/Pospisil
10:59 - 15 - Muguruza/Muchova (LA) - Pam Shriver, Rennae Stubbs
Scheduled end of coverage at 11:00 comes with Muguruza up 4-0, 30-40 in first set.
11:02 -- Sakkari/Kenin update
11:12 -- Nadal/Pospisil -- end #14 at 11:35
<11:16 -- Muguruza/Muchova split-screen -- to 11:16>
11:47 -- Muguruza/Muchova -- end #15 at 1:07
Split sets at 12:12; heat stress index had dropped below threshold for break.
11:49 -- Williams sisters update
12:06 -- More highlights curated by Watson
1:09 -- Muchova post-match interview -- Jason Goodall
1:11 -- Sign-off
Day 4 - Thursday, August 30th
On the docket:
16 men's singles second-round matches (44 hours)
16 women's singles second-round matches (26.7 hours)
14 men's doubles first-round matches (23.3 hours)
16 women's doubles second-round matches (26.7 hours)
9 mixed doubles first-round matches (10.5 hours)
71 matches and approximately 131.2 hours of tennis
Approximately 21.6 hours of warmups, changeovers, and interviews
Total: 152.75 hours of court time.
If all of Thursday's matches finish, we'll be down to 32 players or pairs in men's and women's singles and doubles; mixed doubles will be down to 23 pairs.
Men's singles: 13 seeds, 5 Americans
Women's singles: 13 seeds, 7 Americans
Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91. Heat index values as high as 95. North wind 7 to 9 mph. A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the evening. (The NWS precipitation meter is 5% until 1pm, 16% from 2-5pm, 23% from 6-8pm and then 35% thereafter.)
Scott Van Pelt noted on SportsCenter that, since Novak Djokovic is playing at night this time, maybe we won't get to hear him discuss nude ice baths after the match.
TV: ESPN from noon-6 p.m.; ESPN2 from 6-11 p.m.
If you're scoring at home, last year Chris Fowler was absent on Friday, Saturday, and the Sunday day session thanks to college football before returning Sunday night. This year, in addition to his Saturday primetime game, he also has a Monday primetime game.
Tom Rinaldi is also out of the picture over the weekend thanks to his role on College GameDay -- last year he was absent from 4 p.m. Friday to about the same time on Sunday.
(Both Fowler and Rinaldi were in Atlanta for football last year; this time around, Fowler is headed to Orlando and Tallahassee while Rinaldi visits South Bend. Incidentally, Rinaldi used to work for the NBC station in South Bend. At any rate, last year both men were on the air from New York as usual on Thursday.)
ESPN
12:00 -- Open -- Chris Fowler
12:03 -- Studio segment from Ashe booth -- Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez
12:09 - 1 - Kvitova/Wang (LA) -- Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez
12:19 - 2 - Kerber/Larsson (AA) -- Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver
<12:32 - 3 - Kasatkina/Sasnovich (GS) split screen - Chris Fowler, Mary Joe Fernandez - to 12:34>
12:41 -- Kasatkina/Sasnovich -- end #1 at 12:46
12:53 -- Kvitova/Wang -- end #2 at 12:57
1:04 -- Look-in at Serena and Venus Williams practicing
1:06 -- Kerber/Larsson -- to heat break 1:45
1:08 -- Sabalenka/Zvonareva update
1:15 -- Kyrgios/Herbert update -- Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill
1:50 - 4 - Kyrgios/Herbert (17) - Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill
2:09 -- Kerber/Larsson -- end #3 at 2:37
2:25 -- Cibulkova/Hsieh update
2:47 -- Studio -- Chris McKendry, Patrick McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
3:00 - 5 - Federer/Paire (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert - first ball 3:02
<3:07 - 6 - A.Zverev/Mahut (LA) split-screen - Cliff Drysdale, Darren Cahill -- end #4 at 3:08>
3:29 -- Kyrgios/Herbert update (match ended off-camera)
3:31 -- A.Zverev/Mahut
3:51 - 7 - Keys/Pera (LA) - Tom Rinaldi, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver
<4:00 -- Federer/Paire split-screen for one point>
4:05 -- Federer/Paire
<4:09 -- Keys/Pera split-screen for one point>
4:27 -- Venus/Serena teaser
4:28 -- Federer/Paire
4:32 -- Keys/Pera -- end #5 at 4:41
<4:40 -- Federer/Paire split-screen for one point>
4:42 -- Federer/Paire -- end #6 at 4:59
5:12 -- Tournament update -- Jason Goodall
5:16 - 8 - Pouille/Baghdatis (GS) - Jason Goodall, Patrick Moratoglou
5:31 -- Studio -- Chris McKendry, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert
5:48 -- Pouille/Baghdatis -- to heat break 5:53
5:57 -- Venus/Serena teaser
5:59:35 -- Goodall tosses to SportsCenter
ESPN2
6:00 -- Sign-on -- Jason Goodall
6:02 -- Pouille/Baghdatis -- end #7 at 6:42
6:27 -- Highlights curated by Watson
6:37 -- Goffin/Haase update
6:45 -- Serena/Venus teaser into tournament update
6:48 - 9 - de Minaur/Tiafoe (17) - Jason Goodall, Patrick Moratoglou
7:01 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry
7:04 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
7:07 -- Djokovic/Sandgren pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
7:12 -- Studio -- McKendry, J.McEnroe, Evert
7:15 - 10 - Djokovic/Sandgren (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Mardy Fish -- first ball 7:17
7:50 - 11 - Nishikori/Monfils (LA) - Darren Cahill, Patrick Moratoglou, Rennae Stubbs
7:55 -- Suarez Navarro/Mladenovic update
8:06 -- de Minaur/Tiafoe -- Patrick McEnroe, Brad Gilbert -- end #7 8:08
8:09 -- Djokovic/Sandgren
8:33 -- Nishikori/Monfils -- end #8 by Monfils retirement at 8:40
8:38 -- Cilic/Hurkacz update
8:48 -- Djokovic/Sandgren -- end #8 at 10:03
<9:06 -- Wozniacki/Tsurenko pre-match interview split-screen -- Rennae Stubbs -- to 9:09>
10:14 - 12 - Wozniacki/Tsurenko (LA) - Jason Goodall, Rennae Stubbs, Tom Rinaldi (post)
10:35 - 13 - Sharapova/Cirstea (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver
10:56 -- Wozniacki/Tsurenko -- end #9 at 10:59
11:03 -- Sharapova/Cirstea -- end #10 at 12:21
12:28 -- Sign off
Day 5 - Friday, August 31st
On the docket:
8 men's singles third-round matches (22 hours)
8 women's singles third-round matches (13.3 hours)
9 men's doubles second-round matches (15 hours)
8 women's doubles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
7 mixed doubles first-round matches (8.2 hours)
40 matches, 71.8 hours of tennis
9.9 hours of changeovers and other non-match obligations
81.75 total court-hours
(The first Friday of a grand slam usually has a lull in activity -- the first four days, which are basically full slates of early-round singles and doubles, have ended, and the junior tournaments don't start until Saturday.)
Men's singles: 10 seeds, 2 Americans; 3 pairs of seeds meeting, 1 pair of unseeded players meeting
Women's singles: 9 seeds, 4 Americans; 2 pairs of seeds meeting, one of which is also a pair of Americans who happen to be sisters; 1 pair of unseeded players meeting
Weather: Cloudy, with a high near 77. East wind 13 to 15 mph. Precipitation meter between 17 and 25 percent all day.
TV: ESPN, noon-9 p.m.; ESPN2, 9 p.m. until whenever things finish. (The network transition was originally slated to happen at 6:00, but was rearranged once there were two Williams sisters playing at 7.) ESPN3 and ESPN+ all day.
ESPN
12:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
12:03 -- Studio -- Chris McKendry, Chrissie Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez
12:13 - 1 - Stephens/Azarenka (AA) - Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rennae Stubbs -- first ball 12:14
1:12 -- Harrison/Harrison vs. Lopez/Lopez doubles update
1:13 - 2 - Mertens/Strycova (LA) - Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez -- end #1 at 1:16
1:17 -- Stephens/Azarenka -- end #2 at 2:01
Play stopped 1:40 due to rain -- Shriver observes that "the roof moves faster than I do these days" -- and resumes 1:46
2:12 -- Studio -- Chris McKendry, Jason Goodall
2:21 -- Nadal/Khachanov pre-match interviews -- Brad Gilbert
2:24 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall
2:30 - 3 - Nadal/Khachanov (AA) - Tom Rinaldi, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver -- first ball 2:33
3:32 -- Studio -- McKendry with Patrick Moratoglou and David Witt (Serena's coach and Venus' coach)
3:47 -- Nadal/Khachanov
<3:51 - 4 - Anderson/Shapovalov (LA) split-screen - Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill -- to 3:52>
4:25 -- Play stopped to close roof -- resumes at 4:35
<4:42 -- Anderson/Shapovalov split-screen for one point>
4:57 -- Thiem/Fritz update
<5:02 -- Anderson/Shapovalov split-screen -- to 5:04>
5:11 -- Anderson/Shapovalov update
<5:18 -- Anderson/Shapovalov split-screen -- to 5:19>
5:38 -- Anderson/Shapovalov update
<5:59 -- Anderson/Shapovalov split-screen -- to 6:02>
6:18 -- Anderson/Shapovalov update
<6:33 -- Anderson/Shapovalov split-screen -- to 6:34>
6:34 -- Anderson/Shapovalov
6:36 -- Nadal/Khachanov -- end #3 at 6:57
7:03 -- Anderson/Shapovalov update
7:04 -- Isner/Lajovic update
7:09 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry
7:12 -- Studio -- McKendry, Jason Goodall, Mary Joe Fernandez
7:37 -- Rerun of interview with Williams sisters' coaches from 3:32
7:47 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall, Fernandez
7:51 -- S.Williams/V.Williams pre-match interview -- Tom Rinaldi
7:56 - 5 - S.Williams/V.Williams - Cliff Drysdale, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver -- first ball 8:02, end #4 9:14
8:36 -- Raonic/Wawrinka look-in during set break (LA) -- Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert
<8:39 -- split-screen until 8:45 when tiebreak ends>
9:20 -- Sign-off
ESPN2
9:21 -- Sign-on
9:22 - 6 - Raonic/Wawrinka (LA) - Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert
9:23 -- Studio -- McKendry, Fernandez
9:30 -- del Potro/Verdasco pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
9:36 - 7 - del Potro/Verdasco (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe, Mardy Fish -- first ball 9:41
10:01 -- Raonic/Wawrinka -- end #5 at 10:05
<10:03 -- del Potro/Verdasco split-screen -- to 10:04>
10:07 -- del Potro/Verdasco
<10:55 - 8 - Pliskova/Kenin (LA) split-screen - Jason Goodall, Pam Shriver -- to 10:57>
11:06 -- Pliskova/Kenin update
11:50 -- Kenin/Pliskova
11:59 -- del Potro/Verdasco
<12:16 -- Kenin/Pliskova split-screen -- to 12:20>
12:20 -- Kenin/Pliskova -- end #6 at 12:22
12:26 -- del Potro/Verdasco -- end #7 at 12:40
12:43 -- Highlights curated by Watson
12:44 -- Sign-off
Day 6 - Saturday, September 1st
On the docket:
8 men's singles third-round matches (22 hours)
8 women's singles third-round matches (13.3 hours)
7 men's doubles second-round matches (11.7 hours)
8 women's doubles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
4 mixed doubles second-round matches (4.7 hours)
35 matches, 65 hours of tennis
10.6 hours of changeovers, warmups, interviews, and miscellany
75.6 total hours
Men's singles: 9 seeds (2 pairs of seeds, 1 unseeded pair); no Americans
Women's singles: 11 seeds (4 pairs of seeds, 1 unseeded pair); 1 American
Weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. East wind around 10 mph. Precipitation meter 10% all day.
TV: ESPN2 and ESPN3/+, 11 a.m. to end of play
11:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
11:03 -- Studio -- Chris McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez, joined by Patrick Moratoglou at 11:07
11:26 - 1 - Bertens/Vondrousova (LA) - Jason Goodall, Chrissie Evert
12:10 - 2 - Keys/Krunic (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, Pam Shriver, Rennae Stubbs - first ball 12:13
<12:32 -- Bertens/Vondrousova split-screen -- to 12:33>
<12:57 -- Bertens/Vondrousova split-screen -- to 12:59>
1:14 -- Bertens/Vondrousova
<1:18 -- Keys/Krunic split-screen -- to 1:20>
1:21 -- Keys/Krunic
1:22 -- Bertens/Vondrousova -- end #1 at 1:31
<1:26 -- Keys/Krunic split-screen for one point>
1:32 -- Vondrousova post-match interview
1:33 -- Keys/Krunic -- end #2 at 1:56
2:08 -- Studio -- McKendry, Cliff Drysdale, Brad Gilbert
2:17 -- Federer/Kyrgios pre-match interviews -- Darren Cahill
2:23 - 3 - Federer/Kyrgios (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Pam Shriver - first ball 2:24
<2:51 - 4 - Kerber/Cibulkova (LA) split-screen - Jason Goodall, Chrissie Evert - to 2:52>
3:20 -- Kerber/Cibulkova update
3:29 -- flashback to 1968 US Open
<3:53 -- Kerber/Cibulkova split-screen -- to 3:55>
3:59 -- Kerber/Cibulkova -- end #3 at 4:04
<4:00 -- Federer/Kyrgios split-screen -- to 4:05>
4:05 -- Federer/Kyrgios -- end #4 at 4:08
4:21 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver
4:22 -- Tournament update -- idem
4:29 -- Studio -- idem
4:35 -- Studio -- McKendry, Shriver, Cliff Drysdale with Madison Keys
4:41 -- Osaka/Sasnovich update
4:49 - 5 - A.Zverev/Kohlschreiber (LA) - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert
5:16 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori walk-out update
5:35 -- Highlights curated by Watson
5:39 - 6 - Schwartzman/Nishikori (GS) - Jason Goodall, Mardy Fish
<6:10 -- A.Zverev/Kohlschreiber split-screen -- to 6:11>
6:16 -- A.Zverev/Kohlschreiber
6:34 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori update
6:56 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori
7:03 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry
7:06 -- Studio -- McKendry, Patrick McEnroe
7:08 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova pre-match interviews -- Rennae Stubbs
7:13 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe
7:15 -- A.Zverev/Kohlschreiber
7:19 -- Pouille/Sousa update
7:20 - 7 - Ostapenko/Sharapova (AA) -- Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rennae Stubbs
7:34 -- A.Zverev/Kohlschreiber -- end #5 at 7:39
7:41 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori
7:45 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova update
<7:51 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova split-screen -- to 7:53>
7:55 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova
<7:58 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori split-screen -- to 8:00>
8:00 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova
8:19 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori
<8:23 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova split-screen -- to 8:23>
8:25 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova
<8:34 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori split-screen -- to 8:36>
8:36 -- Schwartzman/Nishikori -- end #6 at 8:39
<8:38 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova split-screen -- to 8:40>
8:40 -- Ostapenko/Sharapova -- end #7 at 8:40
8:49 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez, joined 8:52 by Sharapova
8:58 -- Djokovic/Gasquet pre-match interviews -- Brad Gilbert
9:04 - 8 - Kvitova/Sabalenka (LA) - Cliff Drysdale, Chrissie Evert
9:11 - 9 - Djokovic/Gasquet (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert
<9:20 -- Kvitova/Sabalenka split-screen -- to 9:23>
9:23 -- Kvitova/Sabalenka
9:27 -- Djokovic/Gasquet update
9:35 -- Djokovic/Gasquet
<9:39 - 10 - Goffin/Struff (17) split-screen - Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe - end #8 at 9:42>
9:55 -- Kvitova/Sabalenka -- end #9 at 9:57
10:00 -- Djokovic/Gasquet
11:04 - 11 - Cilic/de Minaur (LA) - Jason Goodall, Darren Cahill
11:07 -- Djokovic/Gasquet -- end #10 at 11:18
11:28 -- Cilic/de Minaur -- end #11 at 2:22
Fourth-latest finish in US Open history. (Record of 2:26 a.m. is shared by three matches.)
2:28 -- Sign-off
Day 7 - Sunday, September 2nd
On the docket:
4 men's singles fourth-round matches (11 hours)
4 women's singles fourth-round matches (6.7 hours)
4 men's doubles third-round matches (6.7 hours)
4 women's doubles third-round matches (6.7 hours)
4 mixed doubles second-round matches (4.7 hours)
20 professional matches (35.7 hours)
7 juniors qualifying matches (11.7 hours)
14 boys singles first-round matches (23.3 hours)
14 girls singles first-round matches (23.3 hours)
35 juniors matches (68.3 hours)
55 matches (103 hours)
7.75 hours of changeovers and warmups (110.75 hours total)
Men's singles: 7 seeds, 1 American
Women's singles: 7 seeds, 2 Americans
Weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning. Precipitation meter at 6 or 7% for most of the day, jumping to 10% at 7pm and 14% at 11pm.
TV: ESPN from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m., then ESPN2 from 7-11 p.m. (ESPN2 has the WNBA playoffs from 3-7, while Baseball Tonight starts at 7 on ESPN.)
ESPN
11:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
11:04 -- Studio -- McKendry, Patrick McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
11:25 - 1 - Anderson/Thiem (LA) - Tom Rinaldi, Cliff Drysdale
I still think of Drysdale as ESPN's voice of tennis, but it seems like he always makes one or two appearances per tournament as the analyst.
12:11 - 2 - Nadal/Basilashvili (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Darren Cahill, Pam Shriver - first ball 12:18
<12:42 -- Anderson/Thiem split-screen -- to 12:43>
<1:22 -- Anderson/Thiem split-screen -- to 1:23>
1:23 -- Anderson/Thiem
<1:31 -- Nadal/Bashilashvili split-screen -- to 1:32>
1:41 -- Nadal/Basilashvili update -- end #1 at 1:50
1:57 -- Nadal/Basilashvili -- end #2 at 3:38
<3:19 -- Studio -- McKendry, Cliff Drysdale with Dominic Thiem, in double-box with match in larger box>
3:52 -- Studio -- McKendry, Chrissie Evert
3:56 -- S.Williams/Kanepi pre-match interview -- Pam Shriver
4:03 - 3 - S.Williams/Kanepi (AA) - Tom Rinaldi, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver - first ball 4:06, end #3 at 5:43
4:39 -- Isner/Raonic (LA) update - Cliff Drysdale, John McEnroe
5:03 -- Isner/Raonic update
5:56 - 4 - Isner/Raonic (LA) - Cliff Drysdale, John McEnroe, Mardy Fish - end #5 at 7:07
Fish did the post-match interview, not the US Open people that usually perform that duty on Armstrong.
<6:34 - 5 - Svitolina/Sevastova (GS) split-screen - Pam Shriver, Bethanie Mattek-Sands - end #4 at 6:35>
7:04 -- Primetime teaser -- McKendry
I suspect this was supposed to be the primetime open, but kind of hard to pull out of the Isner match at 5-2 in the 5th for that whole shebang.
7:12:54 -- Sign-off
ESPN2
WNBA game finished at 7:08, which is basically perfect given the length of the ESPN overrun.
7:09:38 -- Sign-on, simulcasting the Isner on-court interview
7:13 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry, Darren Cahill
7:16 - 6 - Stephens/Mertens (AA) - Tom Rinaldi, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver - first ball 7:16, end #6 at 8:42
<7:28 -- Pre-match interviews on tape (split-screen during third game of match) -- Pam Shriver>
8:52 -- Studio -- McKendry, Pam Shriver, joined by Stephens at 8:57
9:07 - 7 - del Potro/Coric (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert - first ball 9:09, end #7 at 11:14
11:30 -- Sign-off
Day 8 - Monday, September 3rd
On the docket:
4 men's singles fourth-round matches (11 hours) (trimming field to
4 women's singles fourth-round matches (6.7 hours) (trimming field to
4 men's doubles third-round matches (6.7 hours) (trimming field to
4 women's doubles third-round matches (6.7 hours) (trimming field to
2 mixed doubles quarterfinals (2.3 hours) (trimming field to 6)
18 professional matches (33.3 hours)
18 boys singles first-round matches (30 hours) (trimming field to 32)
18 girls singles first-round matches (30 hours) (trimming field to 32)
4 boys doubles first-round matches (4.7 hours) (trimming field to 28)
4 girls doubles first-round matches (4.7 hours) (trimming field to 28)
44 juniors matches (69.3 hours)
46 changeovers for 15.3 hours; 16 first-on warmups for 2.7 hours; 10 interview-court matches for an additional 0.8 hours
Total: 121.5 court-hours
Men's singles: 5 seeds (1 pair of seeds meeting), no Americans
Women's singles: 6 seeds (3 pairs of seeds, 1 pair of non-seeds), 1 American
Weather: Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Heat index values as high as 95. South wind 5 to 9 mph. Precipitation meter tops out at 11%.
TV: ESPN2, 11 a.m. - 11 p.m.; ESPN3/ESPN+ all day.
11:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
11:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, Jason Goodall, Pam Shriver
11:22 - 1 - Nishikori/Kohlschreiber (LA) - Tom Rinaldi, Brad Gilbert, Mardy Fish
12:08 -- Keys/Cibulkova pre-match interviews -- Rennae Stubbs
12:10 - 2 - Keys/Cibulkova (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rennae Stubbs - first ball 12:15
12:54 -- Nishikori/Kohlschreiber
1:04 -- Keys/Cibulkova update
<1:25 -- Keys/Cibulkova split-screen to 1:26>
1:26 -- Keys/Cibulkova -- end #1 at 1:31:30
<1:28 -- Nishikori/Kohlschreiber split-screen to 1:29>
<1:30 -- Nishikori/Kohlschreiber split-screen -- to 1:31>
1:31 -- Nishikori/Kohlschreiber -- end #2 at 1:32:29
1:33 -- Keys post-match interview -- Rennae Stubbs
1:43 -- Studio -- McKendry, Darren Cahill with Rafael Nadal
1:56 -- Studio -- McKendry, Jason Goodall, Patrick Moratoglou
2:04 -- Djokovic/Sousa pre-match interviews -- Darren Cahill
2:12 - 3 - Djokovic/Sousa (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, John McEnroe, Darren Cahill -- first ball 2:14
2:28 - 4 - Osaka/Sabalenka (LA) - Pam Shriver, Chrissie Evert (first ball was at 1:57)
2:30 -- Djokovic/Sousa
<2:44 -- Osaka/Sabalenka split-screen to 2:46>
2:55 -- Osaka/Sabalenka -- to heat break 3:09
<3:00 -- Djokovic/Sousa split-screen to 3:01>
3:06 -- Djokovic/Sousa update
3:13 -- Djokovic/Sousa
<3:21 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez with Madison Keys -- split-screen with Djokovic/Sousa -- to 3:24>
3:28 -- Osaka/Sabalenka update
3:31 -- Osaka/Sabalenka update
3:36 -- Osaka/Sabalenka -- end #3 at 3:58
4:00 -- Osaka post-match interview
4:02 -- Djokovic/Sousa -- end #4 at 4:14
4:27 -- Goodall voices bumper between commercials
4:34 - 5 - Cilic/Goffin (LA) - Jason Goodall, Mardy Fish (first ball was at 4:24)
5:37 -- Primetime promo
5:38 -- Tsurenko/Vondrousova update
6:10 -- Tournament update -- McKendry
6:10 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez with Naomi Osaka
6:20 -- Cilic/Goffin -- end #5 at 6:49
6:52 -- Cilic post-match interview
6:55 -- Tournament update -- Jason Goodall
7:00 -- Primetime open -- Chris McKendry
7:04 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez, Brad Gilbert
7:07 -- Sharapova/Suarez Navarro pre-match interview -- Rennae Stubbs
7:14 -- Studio -- McKendry, Fernandez, Gilbert
7:15 - 6 - Sharapova/Suarez Navarro (AA) - Tom Rinaldi, Chrissie Evert, Rennae Stubbs - first ball 7:18, end #6 at 8:49
9:00 -- Studio -- McKendry, Fernandez
9:07 -- Federer/Millman pre-match interview -- Brad Gilbert
9:13 - 7 - Federer/Millman (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert -- first ball 9:17, end #7 at 12:53
1:00 -- Sign off
Day 9 - Tuesday, September 4th
On the docket:
2 men's singles quarterfinals (5.5 hours)
2 women's singles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
2 men's doubles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
2 women's doubles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
. 2 mixed doubles quarterfinals (2.3 hours)
10 professional matches (17.8 court-hours)
8 boys singles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
8 girls singles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
12 boys doubles first-round matches (14 hours)
12 boys doubles first-round matches (14 hours)
40 juniors matches (54.7 hours)
50 matches (72.5 hours)
14 first-on warmups (2.3 hours)
36 changeovers (12 hours)
11 on-court interviews (0.9 hours)
Total: 87.75 court-hours
Men's singles: 4 seeds, 1 American
Women's singles: 4 seeds, 2 Americans
Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 96. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon. NWS' precipitation meter at 10% all day.
TV: ESPN from 12-6 and 7-11 p.m., at least nominally. ESPN3 and ESPN+ all day.
Chris Fowler is back for the primetime matches tonight.
12:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
12:04 -- Studio -- McKendry, Jason Goodall, Bethanie Mattek-Sands
12:09 -- Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez join from Ashe booth
12:12 - 1 - Stephens/Sevastova (AA) - Pam Shriver, Mary Joe Fernandez, Rennae Stubbs - first ball 12:14 - end #1 at 1:38
12:18 -- Pre-match interviews on tape -- Rennae Stubbs
1:49 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall, Mattek-Sands
1:57 -- del Potro/Isner pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
1:59 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall, Mattek-Sands with Sevastova
2:02 - 2 - del Potro/Isner (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, Patrick McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Pam Shriver - first ball 2:04 - cooling break 4:47-4:59 - end #2 at 5:35
4:52 -- Tournament update, Stephens press conference
5:46 -- Studio -- McKendry, Goodall, Pam Shriver
6:00 -- Sign off
7:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
7:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe, Bethanie Mattek-Sands
7:09 -- Pliskova/S.Williams pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
7:15 - 3 - Pliskova/S.Williams (AA) - Chris Fowler, Chrissie Evert, Mary Joe Fernandez - first ball 7:20 - end #3 at 8:46
8:58 -- Studio -- McKendry, Mary Joe Fernandez
9:02 -- Nadal/Thiem pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
9:10 - 4 - Nadal/Thiem (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Pam Shriver - first ball 9:13 - end #4 at 2:04
2:14 - Sign off
Day 10 - Wednesday, September 5th
Wednesday, Sept. 5. Day 10.
On the docket:
2 men's singles quarterfinals (5.5 hours)
2 women's singles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
2 men's doubles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
2 women's doubles quarterfinals (3.3 hours)
. 2 mixed doubles semifinals (2.3 hours)
10 professional matches (17.8 court-hours)
8 boys singles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
8 girls singles second-round matches (13.3 hours)
8 boys doubles second-round matches (9.3 hours)
. 8 girls doubles second-round matches (9.3 hours)
32 juniors matches (45.3 hours)
42 matches (63.2 hours)
12 first-on warmups (2 hours)
30 changeovers (10 hours)
. 8 on-court interviews (0.7 hours)
Total: 75.8 court-hours
Men's singles: 3 seeds, no Americans
Women's singles: 3 seeds, 1 American
Weather: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87. Light southeast wind becoming south 5 to 9 mph in the morning. NWS' precipitation meter tops out at 11%.
TV: ESPN from 12-6 and 7-11 p.m., at least nominally. ESPN3 and ESPN+ all day.
12:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
12:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, Darren Cahill, Patrick McEnroe
12:11 - 1 - Osaka/Tsurenko (AA) - Pam Shriver, Chrissie Evert, Tom Rinaldi - first ball 12:12 - end #1 at 1:11
1:21 -- Studio -- McKendry
1:21 -- Replay of Nadal/Thiem fifth-set tiebreak from Tuesday night/Wednesday morning
1:33 -- Studio -- McKendry, Pam Shriver, Chrissie Evert; joined 1:37 by Patrick McEnroe and Darren Cahill from Ashe booth
1:39 -- Cilic/Nishikori pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
1:46 - 2 - Cilic/Nishikori (AA) - Patrick McEnroe, Darren Cahill, Jason Goodall - first ball 1:48, cooling break 4:17-4:27, end #2 at 5:59
4:43 -- Mixed doubles semifinal update
5:32 -- Osaka talking about Nishikori in her press conference, split-screen
6:03 -- Sign-off
7:00 -- Open
7:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
7:07 -- Keys/Suarez Navarro pre-match interviews -- Pam Shriver
7:09 -- Studio -- McKendry, John McEnroe, Chrissie Evert
7:14 - 3 - Keys/Suarez Navarro (AA) - Cliff Drysdale, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver - first ball 7:17, end #3 at 8:41
8:50 -- Studio -- McKendry, Pam Shriver
8:56 -- Djokovic/Millman pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
9:04 - 4 - Djokovic/Millman (AA) - Chris Fowler, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert - first ball 9:06, end #4 at 11:55
12:04 -- Sign-off
Day 11 - Thursday, September 6th
On the docket:
2 women's singles semifinals (3.3 hours)
2 men's doubles semifinals (3.3 hours)
. 2 women's doubles semifinals (3.3 hours)
6 professional matches (10 hours)
8 boys singles third-round matches (13.3 hours)
8 girls singles third-round matches (13.3 hours)
4 boys doubles quarterfinals (4.7 hours)
4 girls doubles quarterfinals (4.7 hours)
4 wheelchair doubles matches (4.7 hours)
. 2 wheelchair singles matches (3.3 hours)
30 other matches (44 hours)
40 total matches (54 hours)
25 changeovers (8.3 hours)
11 first-on warmups (1.8 hours)
. 9 on-court interviews (0.8 hours)
64.9 total hours
Women's singles: 4 seeds, 2 Americans.
Weather: Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 101. In the evening, showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a chance of showers.
Precipitation chances (per National Weather Service):
10% at noon
14% at 2 p.m.
24% at 4 p.m.
36% at 6 p.m.
60% at 8 p.m.
34% at 10 p.m.
29% at midnight
TV: ESPN, 7-11 p.m.; ESPN3/+ from first ball to last ball.
I'm going to be working from behind a little bit on the announcer tracking because the power was out between 6:30 and about 9:40.
7:00 -- Open -- Chris McKendry
7:03 -- Studio -- McKendry, Chrissie Evert
S.Williams/Sevastova pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
S.Williams/Sevastova -- Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Pam Shriver
Studio -- McKendry, Pam Shriver
Keys/Osaka pre-match interviews -- Tom Rinaldi
Keys/Osaka -- Chris Fowler, Chrissie Evert, Pam Shriver -- first ball 8:56, end 10:23
10:36 -- Studio -- McKendry, Patrick McEnroe, Pam Shriver
10:44 -- Highlights curated by Watson
10:49 -- Studio -- McKendry, P.McEnroe, Shriver
Day 12 - Friday, September 7th
On the docket:
2 men's singles semifinals (5.5 hours)
. 1 men's doubles final (1.7 hours)
3 professional matches (7.2 hours)
3 suspended boys singles third-round matches [~0.9 full matches] (1.6 hours)
2 suspended girls singles third-round matches [~0.6 full matches] (0.9 hours)
4 boys singles quarterfinals (6.7 hours)
4 girls singles quarterfinals (6.7 hours)
4 boys doubles quarterfinals (4.7 hours)
. 4 girls doubles matches (4.7 hours)
21 juniors matches [~17.5 full matches] (22.7 hours)
11 wheelchair singles matches (18.3 hours)
1 suspended wheelchair doubles match [~0.6 matches] (0.7 hours)
. 3 wheelchair doubles matches (1.5 hours)
15 wheelchair matches [14.6 full matches] (20.5 hours)
39 matches [~35.1 full matches] (50.3 hours)
28 changeovers (9.3 hours)
11 first-on warmups (1.8 hours)
8 on-court interviews (0.7 hours)
1 trophy presentation (blocked here as 0.25 hours, complete shot in dark)
Total: 66.9 court-hours
Men's singles: 4 seeds, no Americans.
Weather: A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before noon. Cloudy, with a steady temperature around 75. A 40 percent chance of rain Friday night.
TV: ESPN2 noon-2 p.m.; ESPN 4-11 p.m.; ESPN3/+ all day.