ESPN3 to Present Live Broadcast of BNP Paribas Showdown From MSG
ESPN3 will present live the 2015 BNP Paribas Showdown from Madison Square Garden in New York on March 10, at 7:30 p.m. ET, with two intriguing matchups featuring stars of yesterday, today and tomorrow: Hall of Famers Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini will play, marking the 25th anniversary of their memorable five-set final at the season-ending 1990 WTA Championships played on the same MSG court. Also scheduled to play is Roger Federer, currently ranked number two in the world at age 33, who will face Grigor Dimitrov, the 23-year-old ranked 11th in the world, having reached a career high of number eight last August. In addition, the Federer-Dimitrov match will be seen on ESPN2 at 11:00 p.m., and both will be available live in Spanish on ESPN Deportes+ on ESPN3.
Chris Fowler will call the matches, working alongside Mary Joe Fernandez with Patrick McEnroe on the sidelines for the women’s match; the two analysts will trade places for the men’s nightcap.
Seles owns nine Major titles among her 53 career titles and was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. Sabatini, the 1990 U.S. Open champion, claimed 27 career titles and spent 10 years ranked in the top 10. The two met 14 times in their careers, with Seles winning 11, including the 1990 WTA Final 6–4, 5–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–2.
Federer’s long list of career accomplishments is highlighted by 84 career titles including a record 17 Majors and the year-end ATP World Tour Finals six times. In addition, in 2014 he helped Switzerland to the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas championship. One of the most exciting young talents in the sport, Dimitrov enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2014, taking titles on three different surfaces (has four lifetime) and reaching the semis of a Major for the first time at Wimbledon. The two men have met three times with the Swiss legend winning each, most recently in Janaury in Brisbane, Australia.
The BNP Paribas Showdown from MSG will air live internationally on ESPN’s networks in 57 countries throughout Latin America including in Portuguese in Brazil and in English in the Caribbean, plus Canada and the Pacific Rim. In addition, ESPN’s broadband players in Latin America & the Caribbean (ESPN Play), in Brazil through WatchESPN and Australia & New Zealand (ESPN3) will also stream live simulcast coverage of this event.
Other upcoming tennis events from ESPN
In addition to the BNP Paribas Showdown from New York on March 10, in the next month #ESPNTennis will present the two biggest events on the tennis calendar outside the four Majors where virtually every top ATP and WTA player competes, as well as the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in the world:
BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif.
â–ºMulti-court offering daily on ESPN3, March 11-22
â–º21 hours on ESPN TV networks and WatchESPN March 19-22 (beginning with quarterfinals and through the women’s and men’s championships)
â–ºDefending Champions: Novak Djokovic, Flavia Pennetta
Miami Open presented by Itau
â–ºMulti-court offering daily on ESPN3, March 25-April 30
â–º25 hours on ESPN TV networks and WatchESPN April 1-5 (beginning with the quarterfinals and through the women’s and men’s championships)
â–ºDefending Champions: Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams
WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston, S.C.
â–ºDaily coverage April 6-12 on ESPN3
â–ºSeven hours on ESPN2 and WatchESPN April 9-12 (beginning in the Round of 16 and through the championship)
â–ºDefending Champion: Andrea Petkovic
