Oprandi Gets Revenge and Takes Troy Women's USTA Circuit Event

TROY --  Romina Oprandi of Italy claimed the women's singles title at the USTA Tennis Classic of Troy on Sunday with a quick 6-1, 6-2 victory over American Varvara Lepchenko.

Playing a tennis tournament in the state of Alabama during the month of October is apparently quite a hard sell to just about everyone outside of hardcore tennis fans in the South. High school, college and professional football are on the minds of most Alabamans this time of the year.  In fact, on Saturday, a Louisiana-Monroe vs. Troy University football game took place around the corner from the tennis center.  "The weather and the fact we are the smallest city to host an event of this size and importance, makes this a challenge," says tournament director Eric Hayes. "But it's a challenge I love."

Hayes does love it as he he takes a break from his post as Head Tennis Coach for both the men's and women's teams at Troy University for a week to run this event. I have to admit it was the first time I've even seen the tournament director take the court as a ball person when ball kids were in short supply.  Hayes did a great job as tournament director, host and ball person.

While there might have been more officials on the grounds of the Lunsford Tennis Center than spectators, the players didn't seem to mind.  "I'm glad I came," said Sessil Karatantcheva of Kazkhstan who beat American Melanie Oudin early in the week before losing to Lepchencko in the semi-finals.

The veteran Oprandi was the best player all week long, and from early in the first set on Sunday, there was going to be no stopping the Italian on this day.  Oprandi avenged a loss against Lepchenko from last week at a similar tournament in Kansas City.  Oprandi refused to admit she is tired as she travels around the U.S. playing these smaller tournaments to earn points that will get he directly into bigger events, but she does get inspired when she sees other Italian women like Francesca Schiavone, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci doing well as they approach the age of 30, or have passed the 30-year mark like Schiavone. 

Lepchenko played a lot of tennis this week in Troy as she also reached the finals in doubles.  She will take a short break and recharge her batteries.  The doubles winners were the team of Elena Bovina and Valeria Savinykh of Russia.  Lepchenko partnered with Mashona Washington this week.

Oprandi will now continue east as she is slated to be the top seed at another USTA Circuit Event, this one in Rock Hill, SC.

Romina Oprandi captures the singles title in TroyStill a successful week for Varvara Lepchenko even though she lost in the finals

Valeria Savinykh of Russia was one-half the winning doubles team

U.S. Open Match to Watch: Day 9

A men's round of 16 match between American, John Isner and Gilles Simon of France.

We'll find out with this match on Armstrong if anyone can tame the serve of John Isner.  Isner has served his way through multiple tiebreakers to reach this point. 

Simon has been getting better all summer and is trying to peak here at the Open.

These two have never played before.  You can count on Isner going big with the serve and Simon looking to stay at the baseline and rally.  Both are playing some of the best tennis of their career and it should be high quality action.

Prediction:  I like Isner to win a couple more tiebreaks and win in 4.

Esurance Making the Most of their U.S. Open Sponsorship

Esurance is serving up a range of activities this weekend in conjunction with their involvement with the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

Esurance is a tier two sponsor as are Heineken, Polo by Ralph Lauren, United Airlines and Xerox.

Esurance is the official car insurance of the 2011 U.S. Open and is in the second year of a three-year sponsorship deal. "Partnering with the USTA and sponsoring the Open is a great way to increase our exposure to a wider audience," says an Esurance spokesman. "The 2010 Open drew more than 710,000 fans; more than 70 million domestic TV viewers watched the Open last year."

Esurance has sponsored tennis events since 2005. Since 2007, Esurance has been the title sponsor of the Esurance Tennis Classic, which takes place in Northern California and benefits the Harbor Point Charitable Foundation. This year's event takes place Sept. 23-25, 2011, and will include John McEnroe, the Bryan Brothers, Tracy Austin, Gigi Fernandez and Murphy Jensen.

An onsite spotter team for Esurance at the Open will be giving away prizes to attendees wearing an Esurance tag they can pick up at the company's booth. Prizes include U.S. Open gift cards, Evian water, rain ponchos, seat cushions, lip balm and sunscreen. At the Esurance booth, visitors can get their picture taken via green screen technology with doubles champions Mike and Bob Bryan, and download them or share them with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. Touchscreen kiosks will also offer tennis tips with the brothers as well as entry into Esurance's "Play with the Pros" sweepstakes.

Mercedes-Benz Goes "Green" at U.S. Open

As the Official Vehicle of the US Open, Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is returning to the courts in Flushing with the all new S350 BlueTEC clean-diesel sedan that is part of its fleet of vehicles used for athletes, staff and officials while supporting the USTA's commitment to green initiatives.

The first diesel-powered S-Class in the U.S. market since the 1995 model year, the new 2012 S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC all-wheel drive model is powered by a purpose-built 3.0-liter V6 diesel with 240 horsepower, an astonishing 455 lb.-ft. of torque and estimated fuel economy of 20 mpg city / 31 mpg highway.

Beyond the new S350 BlueTEC, a driving force behind supporting green transportation for the US Open is the S350's innovative sibling, the Mercedes-Benz S400 HYBRID sedan in addition to a fleet of Sprinter Vans. These Mercedes-Benz eco vehicles represent over 60 percent of the fleet used for player and VIP transportation in an effort to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the US Open tournament. The S400 HYBRID features the world's first lithium-ion battery designed specifically for automotive use. The light-weight, high-capacity lithium-ion battery works with a 20-horsepower electric motor and a 275-hp V6 gasoline engine to provide hybrid power with impressive fuel economy estimated at 30 miles per gallon on the highway.

The US Open launched its comprehensive environmental program in 2008 and continues to expand its green initiatives each year. In 2011, key initiatives include recycling, energy management, composting and utilizing paper products comprised of at least 30% post-consumer waste.

"As an innovator in luxury eco-transportation and the Official vehicle of the US Open, we are in a good position to positively impact the USTA's green initiatives. The S350 BlueTEC clean diesel is another innovative mode of transport in our portfolio of eco vehicles that provide green transportation without having to sacrifice luxury or safety," said Stephen Cannon, Vice President of Marketing for Mercedes-Benz USA.

iPad Free App of the Week: U.S. Open Tennis

A few new updates to this great free app for the 2011 U.S. Open in New York.

The United States Tennis Association and IBM, with special features from American Express, are pleased to offer the official iPhone app for the 2011 US Open Tennis Championships. Follow the action LIVE during the Open, August 29 to September 11, 2011.

Key Features:
Scores
LIVE scoring updates and completed match results during the US Open.

Video
LIVE streaming video during Labor Day and Finals Weekends, and on-demand video highlights, press conferences, analysis and more throughout the tournament.

News
Latest news updates from on and off the court throughout the tournament.

Push Alerts
Get breaking news and player updates pushed directly to you as the action happens.

USOpen.org Radio - American Express Special Feature
LIVE streaming ball-by-ball coverage featuring Courtside Q&A — a live, interactive Q&A with match commentators featuring user-submitted questions via Twitter.

Schedule
Daily Schedule of Play.

Draws
Draws updated instantly as matches complete.

Photos
Stunning photo coverage during the US Open.

Social
US Open official Twitter coverage, as well as tweets from featured players. Foursquare integration to access tips and specials from the US Open and participating partners.

Augmented Reality
Camera-driven experience that allows the user to "see through walls" at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Keep up with all the action at the National Tennis Center.