First Round of 2010 U.S. Open Begins Today and Broadcast Live on the Web

First round action of the 2010 U.S. Open begins today, Monday, Aug. 30 at 11:00 a.m. at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Some of the sport’s top stars will be in action Monday, including Venus Williams, who takes on Italian Roberta Vinci at 7:00 p.m.; Kim Clijsters, who takes on Hungarian Greta Arn in 11:00 a.m. action; and last year’s upstart Melanie Oudin who will take on Ukranian Olga Savchuk in morning action on the women’s side.

On the men’s side, Andy Roddick will face Stephane Robert of France at 11:00 a.m.; Marin Cilic will take on Illya Marchenko of the Ukraine at 11:00 a.m.; Roger Federer will face Agentinian Brian Dabul at 7:00 p.m.; and Robert Soderling faces Andreas Haider-Maurer at 11:00 a.m. on the men’s side.

Of local interest, Irina Falconi, who grew up playing on the public courts at Inwood Park near Washington Heights in the Bronx, will be taking on Italian Flavia Penetta on Court 11 at 11:00 a.m. Coached by Jeff Wilson, Falconi was dubbed "The Crown Jewel" at a young age by her friends.

"Ever since I was small. I mean, they always said, You’re really talented and you’re going to make it. I was young and I obviously wanted it very badly, and, you know, just a few months ago they told me they were like, yeah, You’re our crown jewel for sure," said Falconi.

Recently turned pro, 20-year-old Falconi currently holds a number 385 world ranking. She played two seasons as an All-American at Georgia Tech, where she was number one in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings and was the Yellow Jackets’ number one player; she was also the 2009 and 2010 ACC Player of the Year. She recorded one of the best rookie campaigns in school history, posting 30 singles wins to earn All-America honors as a freshman. Following the completion of her freshman year, Falconi turned her attention to the USTA Pro Circuit and won three events as a member of the 2009 USTA Summer Collegiate Team: The singles titles at $10,000 events in Atlanta and St. Joseph, Mo., and the doubles title in St. Joseph with Ashley Weinhold; Falconi also won one USTA Pro Circuit event this year in Atlanta, also as a member of the USTA Summer Collegiate Team.

"You know, she’s just another opponent, and I know that all these players are going to be good," said Falconi of her opening round opponent Flavia Penetta. "They’re all going to be tough, and they’re all going to battle out there. I’m just going to go in there knowing that it’s going to be a war and I’m ready for whatever comes."

The USTA and IBM have announced the launch of USOpen.org, now re-designed with enriched streaming offerings, enhanced social media integration and new content. The site, along with new mobile features being offered for the first time, will allow fans to stay connected to the U.S. Open in more ways than ever before. USOpen.org is the premier source and destination for multi-media coverage of the U.S. Open and remains one of the most highly-trafficked sports event websites in the world.

IBM, the USTA’s exclusive information technology solution provider, developed and hosts the site (www.usopen.org). USOpen.org generated an all-time record 63.5 million visits during last year’s U.S. Open, which represents a 63 percent increase from the record visits in 2008.

For the first time, all matches played on the five television courts of the U.S. Open (Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand, Court 11 and Court 13), will be streamed domestically live for free on USOpen.org. Live streaming of all of these U.S. Open matches will have DVR functionality. In all, more than 200 matches will be made available free of charge, including the men’s and women’s finals.

“Live streaming of matches was extremely popular with our fans last year, and now with the addition of all the CBS Sports windows—ncluding the men’s and women’s singles finals, we are bringing the entire U.S. Open to our fans wherever they are,” said Phil Green, USTA senior director, advanced media. “Our goal is to connect fans to the tournament in every way and at any time.”

Click here for a complete schedule of day one action at the 2010 U.S. Open.