US Open 2020: How to watch all the tennis today without cable

Wimbledon was canceled and the French Open was postponed until the end of September, making the US Open the second Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar in this most unusual and terrible year. What’s usually the fourth Grand Slam, the Australian Open, was actually played back in January, which seems like eight years rather than eight months ago. 

The US Open has gotten underway as originally scheduled on the last Monday in August. Many players have dropped out of the tournament, and there will be no raucous New York crowds because matches will be played without fans, but high-stakes tennis is finally back. Here’s everything fans need to know to watch all the action from Flushing, New York, without a cable subscription.

US Open tennis

Serena Williams will face a depleted field at the US Open in her quest for her 24th Grand Slam singles title.


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What is the tournament schedule?

The US Open is a two-week tournament that began on Monday, Aug. 31 and ends on Sunday, Sept. 13. 

Who’s not playing?

On the men’s side, two big names are missing from this year’s tournament. They have 39 Grand Slam singles titles between them, including a combined nine US Open titles. Defending champion Rafael Nadal dropped out, citing COVID-19 concerns, while Roger Federer is on the shelf for the rest of the year after undergoing two operations on his right knee. Nick Kyrgios, Kei Nishikori and Stan Wawrinka have also withdrawn from the tournament.

One player — Benoit Paire of France — has tested positive for COVID-19. Paire was seeded 17th in the men’s draw and is now out of the tournament.

On the women’s side, defending champion Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the tournament, as did world No. 1 Ashleigh Barty and No. 2 Simona Halep. Like Nadal, all three cited coronavirus concerns.

Who is playing?

On the men’s side, world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is playing and will look to creep closer to Federer and Nadal in the race for the most career Grand Slam titles. To claim his 18th Grand Slam singles title, Djokovic will need to navigate a field that includes six top-10 players: No. 3 Dominic Thiem, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev, No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas, No. 7 Alexander Zverev, No. 8 Matteo Berrettini and No. 10 David Goffin. 

On the women’s side, only four top-10 players are expected to play: No. 3 Karolína Plíšková, No. 2 Sofia Kenin, No. 9 Serena Williams and No. 10 Naomi Osaka. Other big names playing in New York include 16-year old Coco Gauff and 37-year-old Kim Clijsters, who last played in a Grand Slam tournament in 2012.

How can I watch the US Open on TV?

The tournament will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. There are both day and night matches throughout the fortnight. Coverage starts at 11 a.m. or 12 p.m. ET (8 a.m. or 9 a.m. PT) each day and runs until 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) or later. 

You can livestream the tournament on WatchESPN.com or via the ESPN app, but you will need to prove you have a TV subscription that includes ESPN. If you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can use a live-TV streaming service to watch the matches live; all the services listed here offer ESPN and ESPN2.

All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.


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source: cnet.com