2020 US Open

As originally written by Tony Miller:

The 2020 United States Open is the 140th edition of the most prestigious tennis tournament on American soil. It's the 53rd year of the Open Era and the 43rd year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It's usually the fourth Grand Slam event of the year, but this year it's the second with Wimbledon canceled and the French Open beginning on Sept. 27.

The COVID-19 pandemic leads to the tournament being played without fans, one year after setting a record with more than 737,000 patrons throughout the fortnight. There will be no mixed doubles draw, no qualifying tournament and no juniors matches. The men's and women's doubles draws will include 32 pairs instead of 64. (There is no wheelchair tournament, either, which is standard practice in Paralympic years -- although the Paralympic Games have also been postponed -- but let's not start the semantic arguments already.) Both defending singles champions, Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu, have withdrawn for COVID-related reasons.

In a sense, the qualifying tournament is being replaced on the schedule by the Western & Southern Open, which is being played from Aug. 22-28 in New York rather than Aug. 14-23 in Cincinnati. I don't intend to talk much about that tournament here, because it's the opening act, not the major tournament.

All 17 courts have lights. Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums have roofs. The Grandstand court and Court 17 are third and fourth in the hierarchy.

ESPN holds the broadcasting rights to the tournament, in the middle year of an 11-year deal that spans 2015-25 and makes them the exclusive U.S. telecaster of the tournament. Their schedule is as follows.

Broadcast Schedule

Monday, Aug. 31: ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm

Tuesday, Sept. 1: ESPN, noon-5pm; ESPN2, 5-11pm (due to an NBA window at 5:30)

Wednesday, Sept. 2: ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm

Thursday, Sept. 3: ESPN, noon-11pm; ESPN2, 7-9pm

Friday, Sept. 4: ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 6-11pm

Saturday, Sept. 5: ESPN2, 11am-11pm

Sunday, Sept. 6: ESPN, 11am-7pm; ESPN2, 7-11pm

Monday, Sept. 7: ESPN, 11am-1:30pm; ESPN2, 11am-11pm

Tuesday, Sept. 8: ESPN, noon-6pm and 7-11pm (quarterfinals)

Wednesday, Sept. 9: ESPN, noon-6pm; ESPN2, 7-11pm (quarterfinals)

Thursday, Sept. 10: ESPN2, 3-5pm (men's doubles final); ESPN, 7-11pm (women's singles semifinals)

Friday, Sept. 11: ESPN2, 12-2pm (women's doubles final); ESPN, 4-6:30pm; ESPN2, 6:30-11pm (men's singles semifinals working around NBA)

Saturday, Sept. 12: ESPN, 4-7pm (women's singles final)

Sunday, Sept. 13: ESPN, 4-7pm (men's singles final)

ESPN3 and ESPN+ will be on whenever there are matches to be streamed.

(The basics of the schedule -- noon-11 for the first week, then 11-11 Labor Day weekend and whenever there are matches beginning the second Tuesday -- haven't changed, but the networks get a little funky this year with other puzzle pieces infringing on September. They also have two networks on the air simultaneously on two occasions, which I've noted in italics.)

(Note also that ESPN tends to block the day out as ending at 11 p.m., although that almost never happens in practice.)

Commentators

ESPN's crew usually 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, Brad Gilbert, John McEnroe, Patrick Moratoglou and Rennae Stubbs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Caroline Wozniacki will split time between playing and talking. James Blake is new on the analyst roster and Alexandra Stevenson is in her second year.