US Open Series

 The Greatest Road Trip in Sports

The “Greatest Road Trip in Sports” is set to make its Canadian stop next week at the Rogers Cup presented by American Express.

The US Open Series (USOS) Lever 2000 Challenge, which began three years ago and takes place during the North American hardcourt season, is a thrilling six-week competition featuring 10 events leading up to the US Open. Players from the Sony Ericsson WTA and the ATP have the opportunity to win up to $1 million in bonus prize money at the final Grand Slam event of the year based on their final standings in the Challenge. Points are awarded based on results at the Series events, and the three women and three men who have accumulated the most points in at least two USOS events will be eligible for the bonus cash at the US Open.

Five different tournaments are on the schedule for the women, including two Tier I and three Tier II events. The road trip will visit a new city each week before traveling to Flushing Meadows, New York for the grand finale at the US Open.

The Challenge began out west in California, stopping first in Stanford for the Bank of the West Classic before moving on to the prestigious Acura Classic in San Diego, and the East West Bank Classic presented by Herbalife in Los Angeles. Next week, the road trip will swing northeast to Toronto, where the women will battle each other for the Rogers Cup presented by American Express championship. Finally, the USOS will travel to the Pilot Pen Tennis presented by Schick event in New Haven, Connecticut.

As a Tier I event, the Rogers Cup presented by American Express, like the Acura Classic, has more points up for grabs and therefore is certain to attract some of the top female tennis players in the world.  For the women looking to earn top honours in the US Open Series Lever 2000 Challenge, Canada’s event serves as a critical week of tennis. In fact, the past two Rogers Cup champions used the event to catapult themselves to a first place finish in the USOS of that year.

Last year in Montreal, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia collected 100 points for her win at the Rogers Cup presented by National Bank en route to finishing in the top spot of the Challenge. The year before, Belgium’s Kim Clijsters accomplished the same feat before going on to win the 2005 US Open and earning the largest payout in women’s sports history ($2.2 million).

For more information and a complete schedule and results, go to http://www.usopenseries.com/home/default.sps.

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