World No. 2 and 2012 US Open champion Andy Murray clinched the 2015 Emirates Airline US Open Series men’s title, with Roger Federer’s victory over Novak Djokovic in the final of the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. Murray, who also won the Emirates Airline US Open Series title in 2010, will attempt to set a record for the largest payout in tennis history at the US Open – $4.3 million ($3.3 million for winning the US Open and a $1 million bonus for winning the US Open as Emirates Airline US Open Series champion).
Murray has now joined Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick as the only men to win the Emirates Airline US Open Series title twice. He finishes his 2015 Emirates Airline US Open Series campaign with 145 Bonus Challenge points, after winning the Rogers Cup last week in Montreal and advancing to the semifinals at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati this week. Djokovic clinched second place in the Men’s Bonus Challenge. The third-place men’s finisher has yet to be determined.
The women’s Bonus Challenge race will be decided at the Connecticut Open this week in New Haven, Conn. The women’s winner of the Emirates Airline US Open Series will also compete for a possible $1 million bonus at the US Open. The second and third place finishers on the men’s and women’s sides will compete for $500,000 and $250,000, respectively.
Now in its 12th season, the Emirates Airline US Open Series continues to serve as a true regular season of hard court tennis, linking seven summer tournaments to the US Open. In 2014, Serena Williams won the US Open and Emirates Airline US Open Series women’s title for the second consecutive year, earning a record tennis paycheck of $4 million. Rafael Nadal (2013), Roger Federer (2007) and Kim Clijsters (2005) also accomplished the feat of winning the Emirates Airline US Open Series and US Open singles title within the same year.
Some highlights of the Emirates Airline US Open Series
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnatti tournament
Here we have Andy Murray talking about breaking his eight-match losing streak against Novak Djokovic and Djokovic talks about the keys to the match against Murray.
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