Tennis Channel, Tennis Channel Plus to Carry Most Prestigious Mixed-Doubles Tournament in its Entirety.
Perth, Australia, Matchup Between Open Era Major Singles-Titles Record Holders Part of Network’s 2019 Hopman Cup Coverage
Tennis Channel, Tennis Channel Plus to Carry Most Prestigious Mixed-Doubles Tournament in its Entirety
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 26, 2018 – Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus will start the New Year with a clash between two of the greatest tennis players of all time: Serena Williams and Roger Federer. On Tuesday, Jan. 1, at 4:30 a.m. ET, former World No. 1s and Open Era major-singles titles record holders Williams and Federer will face each other in the 2019 Hopman Cup competition. Williams will represent the United States in the sport’s most prestigious mixed-doubles event against Switzerland’s Federer in one of the most anticipated contests in the history of the competition.
Williams and Federer are among the best to ever play the game – if not the best. Last year Williams broke the record for most major singles titles won during the Open Era, when she captured her 23rd Grand Slam championship at the Australian Open. She is only one match behind Margaret Court on the all-time major singles list (both amateur and Open Era). In January, Federer won his sixth Australian Open title and 20th Grand Slam title to become only the fourth player after Margaret Court, Williams and Steffi Graf to win 20 or more singles titles. Williams also holds four Olympic gold medals, including one in singles and three in doubles with her sister Venus. Federer holds an Olympic gold medal in doubles and a silver medal in singles.
The combination of Tennis Channel and the network’s digital subscription service, Tennis Channel Plus, will carry all 2019 Hopman Cup matches live in their entirety. Coverage gets underway Friday, Dec. 28, at 9 p.m. ET. Hopman Cup matches feature teams of one man and one woman and take place at the Perth Arena in Perth, Australia, December 29-January 5. Among the stars set to play this year are Germany’s Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas and Spain’s Garbine Muguruza.
Rising star Frances Tiafoe will partner with Williams for his Hopman Cup debut this weekend. In February, Tiafoe become the youngest American champion on the ATP tour since Andy Roddick
in 2002 when he won his first title at the Delray Beach Open. Tiafoe had an impressive run at May’s Estoril Open in Portugal before falling to Joao Sousa in the final.
Switzerland’s highest-ranked woman, Belinda Bencic, will represent her country alongside Federer. Bencic received her best Grand Slam result at the 2014 US Open, when she beat top-10 players Angelique Kerber and Jelena Jankovic on her way to the quarterfinals. Bencic advanced to the fourth round at this year’s Wimbledon.
The United States leads all nations in Hopman Cup titles, winning its sixth crown in 2011. Williams, a Hopman Cup finalist in 2015 with John Isner, has contributed to American Hopman Cup championships in 2003 and 2008.
In January, Federer and Bencic defeated Germany’s Zverev and Kerber 2-1 to win Switzerland’s third Hopman Cup title.
Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus Hopman Cup coverage from Perth, Australia; all times ET):
Friday, Dec. 28:
9 p.m. – Britain v. Greece *
Saturday, Dec. 29:
4:30 a.m. – Australia v. France *
9 p.m. – Germany v. Spain
Sunday, Dec. 30:
4:30 a.m. – Britain v. Switzerland
9 p.m. – USA v. Greece
Tuesday, Jan. 1:
4:30 a.m. – USA v. Switzerland
9 p.m. – France v. Germany
Wednesday, Jan. 2:
4:30 a.m. – Australia v. Spain
9 p.m. – Britain v. USA
Thursday, Jan. 3:
4:30 a.m. – Greece v. Switzerland
9 p.m. – Spain v. France
Friday, Jan. 4:
4:30 a.m. – Australia v. Germany
Saturday, Jan. 5:
3 a.m. – Hopman Cup Championship
*Tennis Channel Only
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com), which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights at the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, ATP World Tour events, top-tier WTA competitions, Davis Cup, Fed Cup and Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by nine of the top 10 video providers.
About Sinclair:
Sinclair is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 191 television stations in 89 markets. Sinclair is a leading local news provider in the country and operates the greatest number of award-winning news rooms in the industry and is dedicated to impactful journalism with a local focus. The Company has multiple national networks, live local sports production, as well as stations affiliated with all the major networks. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple-platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
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