By Dustin Dow
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The U.S. Tennis Association will announce today a new television package that will increase coverage of individual tournaments leading up to the U.S. Open, which begins Aug. 30.

The new initiative, known as the U.S. Open Series, will consist of 10 men's and women's tournaments, including Cincinnati's Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

The re-branding of the tournaments is a USTA effort, cooperating with cable and network television, to increase the sport's visibility in the six weeks approaching the U.S. Open.

U.S. Tennis Association chief executive Arlen Kantarian is scheduled to make the announcement today in New York.

It will not have a significant affect on the Western & Southern Masters, however, because that tournament already receives extensive television coverage as one of the Masters Series locations.

The Western & Southern Masters will continue to receive about 30 hours of coverage, while previously under-televised events such as the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles July 12-18 will be provided more coverage.

The increased television time will enable Greater Cincinnati tennis fans to see more of the players who will play in Mason, July 31-Aug. 8, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Three men's tournaments, in Los Angeles, Indianapolis and Toronto, prior to the Western & Southern Masters are expected to be part of the U.S. Open Series.

A total of five men's tournaments and four women's tournaments, as well as the U.S. Open, make up the television package, which is anchored by ESPN and CBS.

Cincinnati's women's tournament, the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, Aug. 14-22, will not be part of the series.

The WTA is making its return to Cincinnati this year for the first time since 1988.

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com