LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2023 – Tennis Channel will air every match of the Billie Jean King Cup qualifier between the United States and Austria in Delray Beach, Fla., April 14-15. Live coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET Friday, April 14, followed by a 2 p.m. ET start on Saturday, April 15. The winner of this weekend’s matchup at the Delray Beach Tennis Center will advance to the tournament Finals in November.
The Billie Jean King Cup is women’s tennis’ annual international team competition and features the sport’s best players representing their countries. Every match is worth one point, with two singles matches Friday, and two singles and a doubles match Saturday. The nation that wins three points advances. Tennis Channel plans to show more than eight live hours and another 20 hours of encore replays this weekend.
Pam Shriver (@PHShriver) will announce Tennis Channel’s Billie Jean King Cup matches alongside analyst Tracy Austin (@thetracyaustin). Both Hall of Famers competed for the United States as players. Shriver contributed in 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1992, winning the cup in 1989. Austin played in 1978, 1979 and 1980, helping to bring home championships in 1979 and 1980.
Jessica Pegula (World No. 3 singles; No. 4 doubles) and Coco Gauff (No. 6 singles; No. 3 doubles) are the front end of a star-laden U.S. roster that includes Sofia Kenin, Danielle Collins and Caty McNally. Last year Pegula and Gauff reached the doubles final at the French Open. Kenin won the 2020 Australian Open singles championship and reached the final of the French Open that same year. McNally has been a doubles finalist at the past two US Opens while Collins reached the singles final of the 2022 Australian Open and just won the doubles championship in Charleston this past weekend.
Kathy Rinaldi returns to captain the Americans again this year. Joining the team in December 2016, she piloted the United States to its most recent championship in 2017, a record 18th crown.
_Tennis Channel(www.tennischannel.com) which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, is the only television-based multiplatform destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. The network has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television in one of the world’s most voluminous sports, with multiple men’s and women’s tournaments and singles, doubles and mixed competition throughout the year. Tennis Channel has rights at the four majors – US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open) and Australian Open – and is the exclusive U.S. home of all men’s ATP World Tour and women’s WTA Tour competitions, Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, United Cup, and Laver Cup. Direct-to-consumer streaming service \Tennis Channel Plus \is available to everyone in the United States and allows subscribers to select from another 4,500 live and on-demand matches and award-winning content from short-form to films throughout the tennis season. \Tennis Channel International _brings live competition and network content to markets in Europe and Asia via digital subscription and free ad-supported streamingTV (FAST) channels.Additional platform www.tennis.com is the largest digital outlet dedicated to the sport. Tennis Channel also manages a network of close to 20 podcasts.
About Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets affiliated with all the major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel and multicast networks Comet, CHARGE! and TBD; and owns and provides services to 21 regional sports network brands. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and the nation’s largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.
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For further information:
Eric Abner, Tennis Channel, 310-314-9445, eabner@tennischannel.com, @TennisChannelPR