2020 Western & Southern Open: Schedule, how to live stream, time, venue, where to watch and all the pre-buzz around the tennis tournament
It took a while for tennis to start this season. With the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, much of the sports activities across the globe came to a halt and the WTA tour recently kicked off with some top players hitting their straps early in the form of some match practice. The Western and Southern Open main draw kicks off on August 22 in New York and for the first time will be played at the same venue as the US Open. Here's a quick primer of everything we need to know ahead of the tournament.
Time
The games are slated to start at 11 am.
Venue
This time, the tournament will be played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
Draw ceremony
The draw ceremony is slated to take place on August 20.
Schedule
Qualifying: Thursday, 20 August - Friday, 21 August at 11:00 am
Main draw: Saturday, 22 August - Wednesday, 26 August, 11:00 am & 5:00 pm
Semi-finals: Thursday, 27 August, doubles at 12:00 pm, singles not before 3:00 pm
Doubles final: Friday, 28 August at 2:00 pm
Singles final: Friday, 28 August not before 4:00 pm
Schedule courtesy: ATP Tour
Where to watch?
Fans in the US can catch the game live on ESPN (Indian Wells, Miami, Nitto ATP Finals) and Tennis Channel.
How to live stream?
ATP Tennis TV is the most preferred option to live stream the matches. Fans can subscribe by paying US$14.99 and live to stream the Western & Southern Open from Saturday. With full replays and realtime stats, the service offers a complete package. It can be watched live on the phone, iPad or Android tablet, Chromecast, or Airplay to your TV.
Pre-match buzz and who's playing?
World No 1 Novak Djokovic, and defending champion, Daniil Medvedev will headline the field as the tourney gets underway, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Matteo Berrettini and David Goffin will be the other stars entering the fray. Karolina Pliskova, Sofia Kenin, Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, and Petra Kvitova will be the women's contenders. In recent news, Simona Halep, World No. 2 recently announced her withdrawal from the event.