[dpetzold300]

I was checking out the TV schedule for the US Open Series, and there's no reference of the Citi Open on the schedule, nor anywhere on the rest of the Series website.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/TVSchedule/?intloc=headernav

It's weird that an American tournament played during this stretch would be excluded. Maybe it's just a TV rights thing? Citi Open is on Tennis Channel while the rest are on the ESPN family. Still, it's odd that they've seemingly dropped any mention of the tournament's existence and removed it from the Series standings.

 

[Mr.Black]

Arabs just said no to Washington.

Basically they just took a better TV deal with Tennis Channel and left the US Open series - that is covered by ESPN. You can't sit on two chairs at the same time, especially in Murica.

 

[zjtennis]

Does this mean Washington's points won't be part of the bonus at the US Open?

 

[Lukas15]

Yes, Washington is NOT a USO Series event this year.
Atlanta, Montreal, Cincinnati and Winston Salem for men and Stanford, Toronto, Cincinnati and New Haven for women.

 

[Sapeod]

Atlanta, a 250 level tournament, is part of the series instead of Washington, a 500 level tournament? That makes no sense.

 

[wildemu]

Citi Open still has Emirates as one of its sponsors too...

 

[Johnny Groove]

Extremely petty from the USLTA but what is new

 

[Mountaindewslave]

smart move by Washington, if they remained under the ESPN US Open Series block they would not be televised practically whatsoever (ESPN even on their secondary channels only prioritize tennis during American Master 1000 events or slams in general)

by being on Tennis Channel the event gurantees it will be watchable and televised for the majority of the event. seems intelligent to me. I've been to the event, it is kind of ehhhh these days but back in like 2009 when I went it had a great field- Del Potro vs. Roddick final, and other players in the tournament included Haas, Gonzalez (Fernando), Soderling, Karlovic, Isner, Berdych, etc.

 

[SERVivor]

It's weird. If they had stayed with the series and ESPN they would have had accessibility via ESPN3. I think more people in the target demographic have access to ESPN3 than have access to Tennis Channel. I think both the U.S. Open Series and the Washington tournament, specifically, lose by this move. The Series can't be taken as seriously when, as one poster above said, an ATP 500 is not in the series while an ATP 250 is.

 

[BodyServe]

Completely stupid but that's what money does for you.

 

[Mr.Black]

It's about the money, and you need money to make tournaments happen, so there's that.

 

[UCLAColumbiaUNC]

I don't get it... Tennis Channel used to broadcast some of the US Open Series matches as well. Why would not being on ESPN have to anything to do with not being part of US Open Series?

 

[CHIP72]

Citi Open still has Emirates as one of its sponsors too...

FWIW, I got one of those Emirates seat cushions tonight, and it does NOT say "U.S. Open Series" on the back. I saw some people who had Emirates seat cushions that DID say "U.S. Open Series" on the opposite side.