The Tennis Channel to Air the Network's 10 Best Matches of 2006 This Month
“Match Fest” to be Replayed in Prime Time December 18-28
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eric Abner, Public Relations Director
2850 Ocean Park Blvd., Ste. 150
Santa Monica,
310-314-9445
eabner@thetennischannel.com
12/13/06 - Los Angeles – The Tennis Channel, the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to tennis and the healthy, active lifestyle that surrounds it, will offer a second look at some of the most dramatic matches of 2006 later this month, Dec. 18-28. Each night beginning at 8 pm ET, for 10 consecutive primetime evenings The Tennis Channel will air “Match Fest,” the 10 best matches that were televised by the network this year.
These heart-pounding contests come from various tournaments around the world. The “Match Fest” lineup includes two tastes of the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry and double doses of Maria Sharapova, Lleyton Hewitt and James Blake. Other matches include tennis stars Andy Roddick, Martina Navratilova, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Bob Bryan, Daniela Hantuchova, Fernando Gonzalez, Dmitry Tursunov, Martin Damm and Kveta Peschke.
“This year was such an exciting one for tennis fans, with the intensification of the Federer-Nadal rivalry and Sharapova’s emergence as a major force at any tournament she enters,” said Jene Elzie, vice president, programming, The Tennis Channel. “We carried so many great competitions on our air this year, that it’s tough to whittle it down to a top 10. But we think ‘Match Fest’ reflects the best of The Tennis Channel’s 2006 tournament coverage, and it’s our pleasure to let tennis fans everywhere relive these great battles.”
Here is a look at “Match Fest,” The Tennis Channel’s top 10 matches of 2006:
12/18: WTA Dubai Duty Free Final – Sharapova vs. Henin-Hardenne:
Fourth-ranked Henin-Hardenne upset third-ranked Sharapova (7-5, 6-2) with a dominant, two-set victory in Dubai for her second championship of 2006.
12/19: Davis Cup Quarterfinals – Blake vs. Gonzalez:
Chile’s Gonzalez defeated Blake (6-7, 0-6, 7-6, 6-4, 10-8) in a five-set marathon. The match contained three tie breakers, including a 10-8 in the fifth set.
12/20: Tennis Channel Open Final – Hewitt vs. Blake:
Blake picked up his second ATP title of the season as he defeated the top-seeded Hewitt (7-5, 2-6, 6-3) in one hour, 59 minutes at the inaugural Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas.
12/21: Master Series Monte-Carlo Final – Federer vs. Nadal:
Nadal successfully defended his 2005 Masters Series Monte-Carlo title, beating top-seeded Federer (6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6) in three hours, 49 minutes. Collecting his fifth ATP Masters Series shield in the process, Nadal extended his winning record against Federer to 4-1.
12/22: WTA Rome Semifinal – V. Williams vs. Hingis:
Hingis continued her remarkable comeback in 2006 by rallying from an 0-6 first set to defeat Williams (0-6, 6-3, 6-3) in route to her first title since 2002.
12/23: Master Series Rome Final – Federer vs. Nadal:
Nadal equaled Guillermo Vilas’ Open-era record 53-match winning streak on clay after saving two match points to defeat Federer (6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6). The epic Rome final took longer than five hours to complete.
12/24: US Open Sept. 4 – Hewitt vs. Gasquet:
Hewitt defeated Gasquet (6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3) despite dropping the third and fourth sets, outlasting the Frenchmen with a deciding 6-3 final set.
12/25: US Open Mixed Doubles Final - Navratilova/B. Bryan vs. Peschke/Damm:
Playing in the last tournament of her illustrious career, Navratilova added to her long list of on-court achievements by winning the US Open Mixed Doubles championship at Arthur Ashe Stadium. She and partner Bryan captured the title by defeating the Czech Republic’s mixed doubles combo of Peschke and Damm in straight sets (6-2, 6-3).
12/26: Davis Cup Semifinals – Roddick vs. Tursunov:
This was a high-pressure match before it even started. Each player took to the court with the hope of his country on his back, as the winner’s team would advance to the Davis Cup finals. In the end, Tursunov finally defeated Roddick (6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 17-15) in a grueling four hours and 48 minutes that featured a remarkable, 17-15 fifth set, and put Russia into the championship round.
12/27: WTA Zurich Final – Sharapova vs. Hantuchova:
Sharapova started fast by easily controlling the first set, but followed with an error-filled second set she ultimately dropped to Hantuchova. The third brought out Sharapova’s best however, leading to a (6-1, 4-6, 6-3) victory, her 14th career title and fourth of the 2006 campaign.
The Tennis Channel (www.TheTennisChannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to tennis and the healthy, active lifestyle that surrounds it. 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 to Roland Garros (the French Open), the US Open Series, ATP Masters Series, top-tier Sony Ericsson WTA Tour championship competitions, Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, Fed Cup and Hyundai Hopman Cup.
