US Open Tennis 2015 TV Schedule, Live Stream Listings for Entire Tournament

The 2015 U.S. Open begins Monday, tennis' fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. Marin Cilic and Serena Williams are the defending men's and women's singles champions. Both players will be looking to retain their titles in Flushing Meadows, New York, albeit under very different circumstances.

With the likes of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in excellent form this year, Cilic is more of an underdog in this tournament than anything. It will be exceedingly tough for him to win his second career major over the next fortnight.

Djokovic is perhaps the most dangerous player in the men's singles field, having already won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year.

Williams, on the other hand, is the overwhelming favorite—as of Sunday, she's listed at -125 to win, via Odds Shark—attempting to make all sorts of history. More on her later.

Here's the tournament's television and live stream listings, followed by a look at the question on everyone's mind heading into U.S. Open play.

Date	Time (ET)	Round	TV	Live Stream	Live Stream Start Time (ET)
August 31	1-6 p.m.	First Round	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
	6-11 p.m.	First Round	ESPN2	WatchESPN
Sept. 1	1-11 p.m.	First Round	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
Sept. 2	1-6 p.m..	Second Round	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
	6-11 p.m.	Second Round	ESPN2	WatchESPN
Sept. 3	1-5 p.m.	Second Round	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
	5-11 p.m.	Second Round	ESPN2	WatchESPN
Sept. 4	1-6 p.m.	Third Round	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
	6-11 p.m.	Third Round	ESPN2	WatchESPN
Sept. 5	11 a.m. - 11 p.m.	Third Round	ESPN2	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
Sept. 6	11 a.m. - 11 p.m.	Round of 16	ESPN2	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
Sept. 7	11 a.m. - 11 p.m.	Round of 16	ESPN2	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
Sept. 8	12-11 p.m.	Quarterfinals	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
Sept. 9	11 a.m. - 6 p.m.	Quarterfinals	ESPN	WatchESPN	11 a.m.
	8-11 p.m.	Quarterfinals	ESPN2	WatchESPN	12 p.m.
Sept. 10	7-11 p.m.	Women's Semifinals	ESPN	WatchESPN	12 p.m.
Sept. 11	3-11 p.m.	Men's Semifinals	ESPN	WatchESPN	12 p.m.
Sept. 12	3-6 p.m.	Women's Finals	ESPN	WatchESPN	12 p.m.
Sept. 13	4-7 p.m.	Men's Finals	ESPN	WatchESPN	12 p.m.

Note: Live streaming is on WatchESPN and features coverage of individual courts, stadiums, junior and wheelchair divisions, doubles play and more.

Will Serena Williams Make (More) History?

For a player who is destined to go down as one of the greatest to ever grace the sport of tennis, Williams certainly appears to have plenty riding on this tournament.

After completing her second career "Serena Slam" at Wimbledon by winning her fourth Grand Slam in a row, Williams is looking to make it a true calendar Slam and make it five in a row at this year's U.S. Open.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Last year, Williams brushed past Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 to start her historic streak. Should she come away with another title after two weeks at the U.S. Open, Williams would also tie the great Steffi Graf for most major titles in the Open era with 22.

With few signs of slowing down even at age 33, Williams should also be in prime position to take on Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam victories.

The excitement for Williams' run in New York is apparently at historic levels as well. According to the Associated Press (h/t USA Today), tickets for the women's final match sold out before the men's final. Records are incomplete, but tournament officials think this could be a first in U.S. Open history, per the AP.

Grantland's Brian Phillips communicated the importance of this tournament for Williams as she stands on the precipice of immortality: 

"

There is so much to say about her — an infinite amount. But it is also very simple. This is a moment because Serena Williams is everything she is: one of the best athletes in the history of sports, a phenomenally talented black woman, and her own irreducible self. She will win the U.S. Open or she won’t, she will win her 22nd major or she won’t, but either way, she shows us a special version of freedom, not just through her physical talent but through her marvelous spontaneous performance of her own personality. She is important and tennis is important, but tennis is also just a game and she is also just a human being, beautiful and dignified, making her way around the sun.

"

Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, deserves plenty of credit for her unrelenting success over the past couple of years.

"Now, Patrick studies tape and looks at the things they can exploit, strengths and weaknesses. I feel like she's 10 times more prepared, with strategy and game plans, match in and match out," said ESPN analyst Brad Gilbert, per ESPN.com's Greg Garber.

Uncredited/Associated Press

As for who might derail Williams' tournament, well, it's anyone's guess. Per Odds Shark, Victoria Azarenka has the next best odds at +800, but the 26-year-old couldn't make it out of the third round at both the Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open. Azarenka hasn't beaten Williams in just over two years, although she did manage to take her to three sets in the quarterfinals at this year's Wimbledon.

American starlets such as Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens could meet Williams on her way to the final, as could her elder sister, Venus. But like most all women's tennis players, they haven't had much recent success against Serena.

Keys is 0-3 against Serena, and Stephens is 1-5 but also a disappointing 28-15 in singles play on the year. Venus is an exclamation-point worthy 11-15 against Serena, but has just one win in their last seven meetings.

In any case, mentality may be more important than physical gifts when it comes to beating Williams. Take it from Alize Cornet, the last woman to defeat Williams at a Grand Slam, all the way back at 2014 Wimbledon.

"You need to go on court and 'know' you can win," she said, according to Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press (h/t The State).

Top-ranked players such as Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova or even Simona Halep might all spell doom for Williams, but it hardly seems likely. It almost seems immaterial to mention her potential opponents.

This is Williams' chance to make history, and if someone defeats her before she can do so, it will be a monumental upset no matter who it is. Even if it doesn't happen for Williams in Flushing Meadows, well, there's still more history to be made. The 2016 Australian Open is only a few months away.