By now you’d think the "U.S. summer hard-court season" would be in full swing, with no more glances back across the pond. After all, we’re just three days away from August, and the men and women have each played at least one event in the States. But in this age of European dominance, clay doesn’t go down without a long, drawn-out fight. The ATP, alongside its well-sponsored, 500-level Citi Open in Washington, D.C., will also stage a last hurrah on dirt for 2013 in Kitzbühel, Austria, this week. As for the women, they’ll also be on hot cement in D.C., and at the newly named Southern California Open in Carlsbad, Calif.
Tennis may not be completely Americanized yet, but the money is getting bigger, the draws are getting better, and a few European stars, including Victoria Azarenka and Juan Martion del Potro, will be making their post-Wimbledon debuts this week. You might, if you’re a lover of all clichés, say that the U.S. Open Series is about to heat up.
Here’s a look at what will be happening on both sides of the Atlantic.