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2009 Olympus US Open Series Most Successful Ever

White Plains, N.Y. — The USTA announced today that the sixth season of the Olympus US Open Series was the most successful to date. Highlights of this year’s Series include record-breaking television viewership and the addition of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open tournament, as well as the addition of EA Sports as an official sponsor for the Olympus US Open Series.

American Sam Querrey and Elena Dementieva of Russia were the 2009 Olympus US Open Series Champions, providing each player the opportunity to earn $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2009 US Open. Querrey won his second ATP World Tour title at the LA Tennis Open, and also reached the final in both Indianapolis and New Haven, Conn. He was followed in the Olympus US Open Series standings by world No. 3 Andy Murray and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro — who took home a total $1,850,000 for winning the 2009 US Open — including $250,000 for a third place finish in the Series.

Dementieva captured women’s Olympus US Open Series title by winning in Toronto and reaching the semifinals in both the Cincinnati and Stanford, Calif. Italy’s Flavia Pennetta finished in second place and former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic finished third.
* Pennetta clinched second place by virtue of the tie-breaker — greatest number of Olympus US Open Series matches won. The 2009 Olympus US Open Series set a new record with nearly 47 million viewers across the six-week season - the largest TV audience in Series history. In addition, the Olympus US Open Series received unprecedented television exposure with over 100 hours on ESPN2, more than 250 hours on Tennis Channel and two tournament finals on CBS Sports.

Fan attendance at Series tournaments was strong again this season, including a record turnout of nearly 226,000 at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women’s Open in Cincinnati and more than 200,000 fans at the Rogers Masters in Montreal — record attendance for a one-week tournament.

“The success of the Olympus US Open Series in its sixth year proves that the Series is as popular as ever among players, fans and television viewers,” said Jim Curley, Chief Professional Tournaments Officer, USTA. “The Series provides a national platform to promote the sport and showcase the USTA’s efforts to grow the game at every level, as we did with the Quick Start play format in a number of series markets.”

The USTA signed EA Sports as an official sponsor of the Olympus US Open Series. The sponsorship designation provided EA Sports with a promotional booth at each of the eight Olympus US Open Series events in the United States and featured EA Sports’ new “Grand Slam Tennis” game.

“This was a great opportunity to pair the industry’s top sports gaming company with tennis’ hard court series of events leading up to the US Open,” said J. Wayne Richmond, General Manager, Olympus US Open Series, USTA. “The EA Sports brand brings name recognition and fan excitement, and this partnership further validates the Olympus US Open Series as a premier attraction in our sport.”

Having just completed its sixth season, the Olympus US Open Series has established itself as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In 2008, Olympus became the first title sponsor of the Series. The Olympus US Open Series is also supported by sponsors American Express, EA Sports, Evian and MassMutual Financial Group.

Posted on September 17, 2009
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