2016 U.S. Open begins Aug. 29; what you need to know before play begins

Ray Slover

2016 U.S. Open begins Aug. 29; what you need to know before play begins image

Lost somewhat in the hubbub surrounding the 2016 Rio Olympics, the U.S. Open tennis tournament gets under way on Monday.

You remember the Open … fourth Grand Slam event of the year, showcased in a borough of New York City, with all the big names involved. The latter was confirmed on Tuesday when tournament seeds were announced.

MORE: Scenes from 2015 U.S. Open

Seeds are no surprise, following the rankings from the men's Association of Tennis Professionals and the Women's Tennis Association. Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber top the women's list; Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are 1-2 among men. It's the fifth time Williams has been No. 1 .

Draws for the tournament will be announced about 11:30 a.m. ET Friday.

Here's what you need to know.

The scene

First and foremost, a retractable roof is ready at the primary show court, Arthur Ashe Stadium. It's the showpiece of upgrades at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The complex is in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park section of Queens.


Arthur Ashe Stadium and its new lid (Getty Images)

The complex includes four show courts. Ashe is the world's largest tennis-only venue, seating more than 23,000. Louis Armstrong Stadium holds more than 10,000.

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Big crowds are expected in the Big Apple. The Open draws more than 700,000 each year.

Oh, and this year brings the biggest amount of prize money in tournament history.

The seeds

In addition to the top two, the men's field finds Canada's Milos Raonic starting as No. 5. The Americans: Steve Johnson, 19; John Isner, 20; Jack Sock, 26; and Sam Querrey, 29.

Djokovic is defending champion.

Most notable absence on the men's side? Roger Federer , who can't play because of a wonky knee. It's the first time he hasn't played in the Open since 1999. At his peak, Federer won five consecutive Open titles between 2004 and '08.

Serena Williams won Wimbledon, her first major title in a year after a slide that included losing in last year's Open semifinals . Kerber has been her tormentor in 2016.

MORE: Serena's titles | Federer's five-pack

Americans in the field: Venus Williams, No. 6; Madison Keys, 8; Sloane Stephens, 24; And CoCo Vandeweghe, 29.

Italy's Flavia Pennetta was the 2015 champion , but she announced her retirement after the match.

Men Women
1. Novak Djokovic, Serbia 1. Serena Williams, United States
2. Andy Murray, Great Britain 2. Angelique Kerber, Germany
3. Stan Wawrinka, Switzerland 3. Garbiñe Muguruza, Spain
4. Rafael Nadal, Spain 4. Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland
5. Milos Raonic, Canada 5. Simona Halep, Romania
6. Kei Nishikori, Japan 6. Venus Williams, United States
7. Marin Cilic, Croatia 7. Roberta Vinci, Italy
8. Dominic Thiem, Austria 8. Madison Keys, United States
9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, France 9. Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russia
10. Gael Monfils, France 10. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic
11. David Ferrer, Spain 11. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain
12. David Goffin, Belgium 12. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia
13. Richard Gasquet, France 13. Johanna Konta, Great Britain
14. Nick Kyrgios, Australia 14. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic
15. Roberto Bautista Agut, Spain 15. Timea Bacsinszky, Switzerland
16. Feliciano Lopez, Spain 16. Samantha Stosur, Australia
17. Bernard Tomic, Australia 17. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia
18. Pablo Cuevas, Uruguay 18. Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic
19. Steve Johnson, United States 19. Elena Vesnina, Russia
20. John Isner, United States 20. Kiki Bertens, Netherlands
21. Ivo Karlovic, Croatia 21. Irina-Camelia Begu, Romania
22. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria 22. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine
23. Kevin Anderson, South Africa 23. Daria Kasatkina, Russia
24. Lucas Pouille, France 24. Sloane Stephens, United States
25. Philipp Kohlschreiber, Germany 25. Belinda Bencic, Switzerland
26. Jack Sock, United States 26. Caroline Garcia, France
27. Alexander Zverev, Germany 27. Laura Siegemund, Germany
28. Martin Klizan, Slovakia 28. Sara Errani, Italy
29. Sam Querrey, United States 29. CoCo Vandeweghe, United States
30. Gilles Simon, France 30. Ana Ivanovic, Serbia
31. Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Spain 31. Misaki Doi, Japan
32. Benoit Paire, France 32. Timea Babos, Hungary

The schedule

The U.S. Open begins Aug. 29 with two sessions daily; starting times are 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. (all times ET).

The women's championship match will begin about 4 p.m. on Sept. 10. The men's title match completes the competition, scheduled for 4 p.m. Sept. 11.

The screen

ESPN will carry all the competition, with preview and highlight shows plus encore matches on The Tennis Channel.

Ray Slover