TVSquad

As I wrote last year, I'm really disappointed to see that USA Network won't be covering the US Open anymore (I guess tennis players are some of the characters that aren't welcome there).

Last year was their last year and ESPN takes over next Monday (they now have the rights to all four of the Grand Slam tournaments). While ESPN does a fine job with most of the sports they cover, the USA coverage was one of my favorite two weeks of the year, something I really looked forward to every August. I liked the announcers, I liked the direction and the production, and I liked their all-day and all-night schedule.

I have no reason to think that ESPN will ruin the Open, but there is one thing that worries me a little bit.

Their daily coverage of the tournament will be starting at 1PM, which is two hours later than the 11AM start that USA always had. Now, a lot of people might be thinking I'm just being greedy. After all, ESPN's coverage (actually, ESPN2's coverage) will run every day from 1PM to 6PM, and then again from 7PM to past midnight (whenever the late match ends). And even that hour between 6 and 7PM is going to be filled with a scoreboard/highlights show, so they're going to have almost nonstop coverage from 1PM to 11PM and even later.

Still, I want those two hours back. I wonder why they're starting a little later? Do we really need two hours of First Take?