Seeds Advance on Day 1 of US Open National Playoffs Women's Championship

Three days after Blake Strode made history by capturing the inaugural US Open National Playoff – Men’s Championship and earning a wild card into next month’s US Open Qualifying Tournament, the women took to the court on Wednesday for the first round of the Women’s Championship, which is taking place alongside the Bank of the West Classic, an Olympus US Open Series event at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif.

Of the 16 women who remain from the 373 competitors who entered in one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments nationwide, eight competed today in their first-round matches, as they attempted to match Strode’s accomplishment and earn at least one match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

The day began with top-seed Alina Jidkova, 33, of Boca Raton, Fla., taking on Syracuse University standout Eleanor Peters, 22, of Washington, D.C. Jidkova, who made her US Open debut in 2000 and competed in the main draw of the US Open each year from 2002-07, had too much experience on this day for the younger Peters and cruised to a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

In Friday’s quarterfinals, Jidkova will face Kaitlyn Christian, 18, of Orange, Calif. Christian, who will enroll at the University of Southern California in a few months, got her first taste of the courts where she’ll take on future rival Stanford University, winning the day’s longest match by defeating Samantha Powers, 21, of Rome, Ga., 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2.

Third on court was No. 3 seed Brittany Augustine, 18, of Carson, Calif., facing 16-year-old Belinda Niu of Portland, Ore. Niu, the 2008 USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Champion, started fast, going up an early break in the first set, but Augustine eventually found the groove that helped her reach the semifinals of the 2009 USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 event in Brownsville, Texas, and rolled to a 6-4, 6-1, victory.

Wednesday’s final match featured the draw’s two youngest competitors, as 15-year-old Evangeline Repic of Oakville, Canada, took on fellow 15-year-old Jan Abaza of Deerfield Beach, Fla., who won the pre-qualifying event at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stop in Ponte Vedra Beach earlier this year. Repic, who competed for Canada in the 2009 ITF World Junior Tennis Competition (14-and-under), dominated early, winning the first set and jumping to a 3-0 lead in the second, before Abaza battled back to force a tiebreak. Repic quickly recovered, however, and defeated Abaza, 6-3,
7-6 (2).

The first round of the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship will continue on Thursday with four more matches, as eight more women set out to realize their dream of competing at the US Open. Among the competitors who will see action are No. 2 Alexandra Mueller, who won her first pro title at the age of 15, No. 4 seed Courtney Dolehide, who will play collegiately at UCLA next year, and Romana Tedjakusuma, who competed in the main draw of the 1994 US Open and at 34 is the oldest player in the draw.


US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship
Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford University
Palo Alto, Calif.

Day 1 First-Round Results:
No. 1 Alina Jidkova def. Eleanor Peters 6-4, 6-3
Kaitlyn Christian def. Samantha Powers 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-2
No. 3 Brittany Augustine def. Belinda Niu 6-4, 6-1
Evangeline Repic def. Jan Abaza 6-3, 7-6 (2)

US Open National Playoffs Women's Championship set to begin

The USTA announced that the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship will be held July 28 – August 1 at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif. The tournament will be held in conjunction with the Bank of the West Classic, the first women’s event of the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. Live scoring is available through USTA.com and BankoftheWestClassic.com, and Sunday’s final will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel and available live on ESPN3.com. The winner will receive a wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament, held August 24-27, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, in Flushing, N.Y., the home of the US Open.

The inaugural year of the US Open National Playoffs featured 373 women in 16 US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournaments, with the 16 winners advancing to the Women’s Championship. The US Open National Playoffs function as a series of tournaments held throughout the United States to make the US Open eligible to anyone and everyone 14-and-over with the passion to compete, regardless of playing ability or nationality.

"On the heels of a successful Men’s Championship that was filled with compelling matchups and gripping matches, we are eagerly anticipating the 2010 US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, and with it, the opportunity to award a second wild card into the 2010 US Open Qualifying Tournament," said Jeff Ryan, Tournament Director of the US Open National Playoffs. "We have an impressively talented field spanning a wide range of ages and are thrilled to play a role in helping one of these players achieve her dreams of competing in the US Open."

The competitors in the Women’s Championship hail from five different countries and three different continents, and they range in age from 15 to 34. Four competitors have played collegiate tennis while three others will enroll as freshman this fall. Two have prior Grand Slam experience, 12 regularly compete on the USTA Pro Circuit, and one is a private coach.

Those competing in the US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship include (Sectional Qualifying Tournament in parentheses):

Jan Abaza; 15; Deerfield Beach, Fla. (USTA Florida)
Alexandra Mueller; 22; Abington, Pa. (USTA Middle States)

Brittany Augustine; 18; Carson, Calif. (USTA Southwest)
Belinda Niu; 16; Portland, Ore. (USTA Pacific Northwest)

Kaitlyn Christian; 18; Orange, Calif. (USTA So. California)
Jessica Pegula; 16; Boca Raton, Fla. (USTA Intermountain)

Maureen Diaz; 28; Glendale, Calif. (USTA Hawaii-Pacific)
Eleanor Peters; 22; Washington, D.C. (USTA Mid-Atlantic)

Courtney Dolehide; 18; Hinsdale, Ill. (USTA Northern)
Samantha Powers; 21; Rome, Ga. (USTA Southern)

Megan Falcon; 25; Baton Rouge, La. (USTA Missouri Valley)
Evangeline Repic; 15; Oakville, Canada (USTA Midwest)

Alina Jidkova; 33; Boca Raton, Fla. (USTA Texas)
Katerina Sevcikova; 28; Yonkers, N.Y. (USTA Eastern)

Rachel Kahan; 18; Unionville, Conn. (USTA New England)
Romana Tedjakusuma; 34; Tracy, Calif. (USTA No. California)




Of the competitors, only Alina Jidkova and Romana Tedjakusuma have played in the US Open main draw, while Alexandra Mueller has appeared in the US Open Qualifying Tournament.

The top-seeded Jidkova, who played in the US Open main draw each year from 2002 to 2007 and has been ranked as high as No. 51, will face Eleanor Peters, who played collegiately at Syracuse last year, in the first round. Mueller, who has won four USTA Pro Circuit titles already this year, is seeded No. 2 and will face Tedjakusuma, who reached the third round of the 1994 Australian Open and has represented Indonesia in Fed Cup. No. 3 seed Brittany Augustine, a former top-ranked player in the USTA Girls’ 14s National Standings, will take on 2008 USTA Girls’ 16s National Clay Court Champion Belinda Niu. Courtney Dolehide, who reached her first career professional final at the USTA Pro Circuit $10,000 event in Wichita, Kan., last summer, is the No. 4 seed and will face Rachel Kahan, who will play collegiately for Duke University this fall.

Other first round matchups include Samantha Powers, who has been competing in USTA Pro Circuit events since 2005, taking on future University of Southern California collegian Kaitlyn Christian. Megan Falcon, who earned All-American honors at LSU, will face 16-year-old Jessica Pegula, who reached the final of a major ITF World Junior clay-court event in Brazil earlier this year. Katerina Sevcikova, a former University of Missouri standout who lives less than an hour from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, will play Maureen Diaz, the 1998 Girls’ 18s Easter Bowl finalist and standout player at the University of Southern California. In a matchup of the two 15-year-olds, Evangeline Repic, who represented Canada at the 2009 World Junior Tennis Competition, faces Jan Abaza, who recently gained a professional ranking for the first time by competing on the USTA Pro Circuit.

US Open 2010 Live Stream Womens Matches

Serena, Clijsters leads the 2010 US Open Live Stream women's matches.The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12. The USTA has announced that 99 of the top 100 women, including 2010 Grand Slam singles champions Serena Williams and Francesca Schiavone, are entered in the women’s singles field for the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. Williams and Schiavone will be joined in the field by defending champion Kim Clijsters and former US Open champions Venus Williams, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova. In all, 36 different countries are represented in the women’s field.

Two-time US Open champion Justine Henin of Belgium will miss this year’s event due to an injury she suffered to her right (serving) elbow during Wimbledon.

Serena Williams, the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, will have the opportunity to win her third Grand Slam of the year, and 14th overall, at the US Open. Reigning French Open champion Schiavone will attempt to win her first US Open and second career major title.

Altogether, there are seven players who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers competing in the US Open this year, including former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, who won the 2008 French Open.

The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 – September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.7 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Women’s Singles Championship is presented by JPMorgan Chase.

Leading the entry list is world No. 1 and three-time US Open champion Serena Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who won US Open titles in 1999, 2002 and 2008. Following Williams on the entry list are No. 2 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, the 2008 US Open runner-up; No. 3 Venus Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., the 2000 and 2001 US Open champion; No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the 2009 US Open runner-up; No. 5 Samantha Stosur of Australia, the 2010 French Open runner-up; No. 6 Elena Dementieva of Russia, the 2004 US Open runner-up; No. 7 Kim Clijsters of Belgium, the defending US Open champion; No. 8 Francesca Schiavone of Italy, the reigning French Open champion; No. 9 Vera Zvonareva of Russia, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; and No. 10 Li Na of China.

Other American women who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include No. 42 Melanie Oudin of Marietta, Ga., who last year became the youngest American to reach the US Open quarterfinals since 1999; No. 80 Vania King of Long Beach, Calif.; No. 95 Bethanie Mattek-Sands of Phoenix, Ariz.; and No. 98 Jill Craybas of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Three players – Anne Keothavong of Great Britain, Urszula Radwanska of Poland and Jelena Kostanic Tosic of Croatia – received direct entry due to special rankings, while Sandra Zahlavova of the Czech Republic, ranked No. 102, was the 104th and last player accepted directly into the women’s field of 128. Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 24-27, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs – Women’s Championship, held during the Olympus US Open Series event in Stanford, Calif. next week. The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs this year and allowed players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.

The July 19 edition of the WTA Tour rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

US Open 2010 Live Stream Mens Matches

US Open 2010 Live Stream Mens Matches will hightlight Nadal, Federer, del Potro and Roddick.The 2010 US Open will be held Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12.The USTA announced that reigning French Open and Wimbledon Champion Rafael Nadal, five-time US Open champion Roger Federer and defending US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who is expected to return to Grand Slam competition after missing the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year, lead the men’s singles field for the 2010 US Open Tennis Championships. The player field also features former US Open champions Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt. Each of the world’s top 98 men received direct entry into the US Open, representing 33 countries.


The 2010 US Open will be played August 30 – September 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Both the men’s and women’s US Open singles champions will earn $1.7 million with the ability to earn an additional $1 million in bonus prize money (for a total $2.7 million potential payout) based on their performances in the Olympus US Open Series. The US Open Men’s Singles Championship is presented by Mercedes-Benz USA.

Leading the entry list is world No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain, who will be seeking his first US Open title. Nadal recently swept the French Open and Wimbledon singles titles for the second time in three years and will be attempting to become just the seventh man in history to win the career Grand Slam joining Andre Agassi, Don Budge, Roy Emerson, Federer, Rod Laver and Fred Perry.


World No. 2 Novak Djokovic enters the US Open seeking his second grand slam title and first since the 2008 Australian Open.


World No. 3 Roger Federer is seeking his sixth US Open title after having his consecutive streak of US Open titles snapped at five by Juan Martin Del Potro last year. With a victory at the US Open, Federer can surpass Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors for most U.S. men’s singles titles in the Open Era. In 2007, Federer became the only man to win the Olympus US Open Series and US Open titles in the same year.

Following Nadal, Djokovic and Federer on the entry list are No. 4 Andy Murray of Great Britain, the 2008 US Open runner-up; No. 5 Robin Soderling of Sweden, the French Open runner-up in 2009 and 2010; No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia, a two-time US Open semifinalist; No. 7 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the defending US Open champion; No. 8 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic, the 2010 Wimbledon runner-up; No. 9 Andy Roddick of Austin, Texas, the 2003 US Open Champion; and No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain.

In all, there are seven entrants who have won Grand Slam singles titles in their careers, including 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain.

Other American men who received direct entry into this year’s tournament include: No. 19 John Isner of Tampa, Fla.; No. 20 Sam Querrey of Las Vegas; No. 49 Mardy Fish of Tampa, Fla.; No. 75 Robby Ginepri of Kennesaw, Ga.; No. 89 Michael Russell of Houston; and No. 94 Taylor Dent of Bradenton, Fla. Additionally, Tommy Haas of Bradenton, Fla., who recently became a U.S. citizen, received direct entry via a protected ranking.

Bjorn Phau of Germany, ranked No. 98, is the last player accepted directly into the men’s field of 128. In addition to Haas, five other players used protected rankings to gain direct entry, including: David Nalbandian of Argentina; Dmitry Tursunov of Russia; Mario Ancic of Croatia; Maximo Gonzalez of Argentina; and Kristof Vliegen of Belgium. Sixteen more players will gain entry through the US Open Qualifying Tournament, August 24-27, while the remaining eight spots are wild cards awarded by the USTA.

Among the players competing in the US Open Qualifying Tournament will be the winner of the inaugural US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Championship, held this weekend at the site of the Olympus US Open Series event in Atlanta. The USTA created the US Open National Playoffs this year and allowed players 14-and-older, regardless of playing ability or nationality, to vie for a spot in the US Open Qualifying Tournament via one of 16 Sectional Qualifying Tournaments.

The July 19 edition of the ATP World Tour rankings was used to determine the US Open main draw entry list. Seeds will be determined and announced closer to the start of the event.

The 2010 US Open will mark the culmination of the Olympus US Open Series, the six-week summer tennis season linking all major ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour tournaments in North America to the US Open. The US Open is the highest attended annual sporting event in the world. More than 70 million viewers watched the 2009 US Open on CBS Sports, ESPN2 and Tennis Channel, and international broadcasts reached more than 185 countries. In 2009, Juan Martin Del Potro won his first career Grand Slam title, defeating five-time defending champion Roger Federer in a five-set final. In the women’s singles final, Kim Clijsters culminated her comeback from retirement, defeating Caroline Wozniacki to capture her second US Open title.

2010 US Open Live Stream Official Schedule

Here the 2010 US Open Live Stream Official Schedule. Schedule is subject to change. All Times are Eastern. (as of January 19, 2010). TV Coverage and other live channel will be posted soon.