US Open 2014 Women's Final: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream Info

It wasn't exactly how anyone drew it up, but 2014 U.S. Open couldn't have asked for a better championship match with No. 1 seed Serena Williams going up against No. 10 seed Caroline Wozniacki at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday. 

Williams got here by doing what she's done all tournament. She knocked off 17th-ranked Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets, the sixth-straight opponent at the U.S. Open who has failed to take a set from the best player in the world. This marks the fourth-straight final at this event for Williams, who has won here the last two years. 

Wozniacki got here in the worst way possible. She won the first set against Peng Shuai and was leading 4-3 in the second set, but Peng's legs started cramping up and she was forced to retire before the match could be completed. 

Regardless of the difficult circumstances Wozniacki wound up having to get here, her focus turns to beating Williams, something she hasn't done since March 2012. A victory in this spot would also give the 24-year-old her first career major title. 

Here's all the information you need to prepare for Sunday's epic showdown, including where and when to watch it and a final prediction. 

Date	Start Time (ET)	Watch	Live Stream
September 7	4:30 p.m.	CBS	USOpen.org

Preview & Prediction

Andy Wong/Associated Press

This is a rivalry that tennis fans have been waiting to see for years. It's happened in the past but is so one-sided in favor of Williams that calling it a rivalry is a stretch. Add in Williams' dominance at the U.S. Open, suddenly things don't look so good for Wozniacki. 

Even though Williams has a reputation for being aloof at certain moments—bored might be a more appropriate word, because she's been so great for so long and has ventures outside of tennis that drive her—we take her dominance for granted. 

S.L. Price of SI.com wrote a profile about Williams about her unique personality, to which she talked about how passionate she is about the game and being great:

"

I am and always will be, ‘til the day I die, the most passionate person you’ll ever meet, maybe. I’m sure there are other people who might be more passionate -- I take that back. But for me I live and die. It’s more than my job; it’s my life. It’s my career. It’s me. Tennis has given me more opportunities than I would have ever dreamed of, than I would have ever hoped for, than I would have even asked for.

"

It was easy to look at her early exits from the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon this year as a sign that her performance was slipping. Then we see six consecutive matches at the U.S. Open where Williams doesn't drop a set and doesn't lose more than three games in a set, suddenly we remember why she's won 17 major titles. 

On the other side of the spectrum, Wozniacki is a player we have been waiting to see consistent greatness from. She's had moments where things appeared like they were coming together, but the banana peel was waiting before crossing the finish line. 

This is just Wozniacki's second grand slam final, previously reaching the championship match at the 2009 U.S. Open before losing to Kim Clijsters. While she hasn't been as overtly dominant as Williams over the last two weeks, the Denmark native has been impressive by losing just two sets in six matches. 

Wozniacki told Melissa Isaacson of ESPNW.com  after defeating Sara Errani in the quarterfinals that there's not a lot different to her game right now other than an abundance of confidence:

"

I always go out there, and I believe I'm going to play well. I had a game plan in mind, and I just went for my shots. I knew that I had to be aggressive, but not too aggressive, kind of find a balance between finding the opening, and then go for my shots whenever I had the shots [to go] for it.

"

Confidence is going to play a key role for Wozniacki against Williams. One thing the top-ranked player does so well is take opponents out of their game. She's so strong with a powerful serve and moves around the net so well that finding an opening is nearly impossible. 

A simple strategy that is easier said than done for Wozniacki to pull off the upset on Sunday is get off to a fast start. Here's her career record when winning the first set, according to the WTA's official Twitter account:

Unfortunately for Wozniacki, Williams doesn't lose the first set at the U.S. Open. Something has to give when these two superstars meet. It's tempting to pick Wozniacki because she is playing so well and it would be nice to see her finish what she's started. 

But how do you bet against Williams in this spot? She's owned the U.S. Open for the last three years and is looking to salvage a disappointing season, by her lofty standards, with a win on her home soil. The match will be close, but Williams is too strong for Wozniacki. 

Prediction: Williams defeats Wozniacki in three sets

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