DIRECTV is inviting tennis fans to Manhattan’s Lexington Avenue Armory for DIRECTV’s Old School Challenge presented by ESPN on 8/25. The private event precedes the 2011 US Open and highlights old school tennis legends Ivan Lendl and the Jensen brothers as they battle it out against new school stars Pete Sampras and current No. 1 doubles team, the Bryan brothers.
John McEnroe will keep the crowds entertained by providing color commentary for the matches. Tennis Channel’s Brett Haber and Mayleen Ramsey will serve as play-by-play commentator and sideline reporter, respectively. The event concludes with a performance from singer-songwriter Cee Lo Green. DIRECTV’s Old School Challenge presented by ESPN will be broadcast on DIRECTV’s Audience Network, the Tennis Channel and DIRECTV’s Regional Sports Networks.
The armory will be transformed into a regulation US Open tennis court complete with stadium-seating, where two “old school” vs. “new school” battles will ensue. First, the Jensen brothers, using today’s modern tennis rackets, will face off against the Bryan brothers, who will fight back using old school wooden rackets. Next, Lendl and Sampras will return to the court to duke it out in a singles match, again switching up equipment; Lendl will be using a modern racket while Sampras will play with a wooden racket.
DIRECTV’s US Open Experience, produced by ESPN, is a free, interactive service that offers expanded coverage of outer court and early round matches from Flushing Meadows. Customers enjoy more than 435 hours of live tennis action, up to 140 extra matches that cannot be seen anywhere else, with five extra court channels in addition to the main ESPN2 feed – all displayed on DIRECTV’s innovative six-on-one-screen Mix Channel, and presented in HD. The Mix Channel and bonus coverage will run from 8/29 through 9/ 5 on channels 701-708. ESPN’s multi-platform and worldwide coverage of the US Open will include 100 hours in high definition on ESPN2 HD, 420 hours on ESPN3.com’s multi-court offering plus coverage across ESPN’s platforms in the U.S. and around the world.
