MARDY FISH CLINCHES 2011 OLYMPUS US OPEN SERIES MEN’S TITLE

Written by: Staff on 19th August 2011

MARDY FISH CLINCHES 2011 OLYMPUS US OPEN SERIES MEN’S TITLE

Mardy Fish of the USA returns to Robin Haase of the Netherlands during their third round match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 25 June 2011. EPA/FELIPE TRUEBA |

Top-ranked American Mardy Fish clinched the 2011 Olympus US Open Series men’s title with a 7-5, 7-5, round of 16 win over Richard Gasquet at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati on Thursday (now that the field for the Winston-Salem Open, the final event of the Series – has been closed). This is the first Olympus US Open Series title for Fish, who finished third in the standings last year. The men’s second and third place finishers in this year’s bonus challenge have yet to be determined.

Fish will now compete for the largest payout in tennis history at the 2011 US Open — $2.8 million ($1.8 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series).

On the women’s side, Serena Williams currently holds the lead in the Olympus US Open Series Bonus Challenge women’s standings. Agnieszka Radwanska can still capture the overall Series title by reaching the final of the New Haven Open atYale next week. Nadia Petrova could also claim the Series title by winning both Cincinnati and New Haven.

The women’s winner of the Olympus US Open Series will also compete for $1 million in bonus prize money at the 2011 US Open. The second and third place finishers on both the men’s and women’s sides will compete for $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.

Andy Murray won the 2010 Olympus US Open Series men’s title and Caroline Wozniacki won the women’s title. In 2007, Roger Federer collected the biggest paycheck in tennis history — $2.4 million — for winning the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series. In 2005, Kim Clijsters also captured both the US Open and the Olympus US Open Series, winning $2.2 million — the largest purse in women’s sports history — and again equaled that amount in 2010, winning the US Open and finishing second in the Olympus US Open Series.

Now in its eighth 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. Fans follow the action throughout the summer through national television coverage, culminating each week with back-to-back men’s and women’s finals on Sunday afternoon. Players battle for $40 million, including a chance for bonus prize money at 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, evian, Esurance and Gatorade.