French Open 2015 Women's Semifinal: TV Schedule, Start Time, Live Stream Info

Chaos has reigned supreme in the women's draw at the 2015 French Open. While many top players were sent packing earlier than expected, Serena Williams was able to fend off a couple of upset bids and now heads into the semifinals as the overwhelming favorite.  

The No. 1 player in the world is joined by Ana Ivanovic, Lucie Safarova and Timea Bacsinszky in the tournament's final four. Williams is seeking her third championship at Roland Garros as well as her 20th Grand Slam title overall.

Let's check out all of the important information for the women's semifinal round. That's followed by a preview and prediction for each of the matches on tap for Thursday.

Viewing Details

Where: Roland Garros in Paris, France

When: Thursday, June 4, at 9 a.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Match Predictions

(7) Ana Ivanovic vs. (13) Lucie Safarova

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

When Ivanovic won this title seven years ago, it appeared she was one of the sport's fast-rising stars. She showcased a well-rounded skill set, highlighted by power off both wings. But rather than building off of her first major championship, she struggled to replicate the success.

This marks her first Grand Slam semifinal match since that triumph in 2008. The problems have always felt like they were more mental than physical. She's had trouble taking control of matches against lesser opponents, and her service toss has been highly erratic at times.

Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times passed along comments Ivanovic made in an on-court interview about a new outlook that's helped her get back into contention on the major stage: 

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"Ever since I was a young girl, even in school, I was always a perfectionist, and I always wanted to do my homework as soon as I got home. Everything had to be done properly. And you know what? When you have tough times and when you learn you can't be perfect in every situation, it's hard to accept, you know, because I still do expect that. But you just have to, because, you know, it's not about the situation. It's how you deal with it. You always have a choice. ... Now I really try to forgive myself sometimes and to accept it and to move on."

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The new attitude is seemingly paying dividends for the Serbian sensation. Now, the question is whether she can maintain that renewed mental strength as the pressure level rises.

Ivanovic goes up against Safarova, who's making her second Grand Slam semifinal appearance in her past four events. That's notable because she didn't reach that stage of a major tournament in any of her first 36 tries.

In other words, she's a late bloomer—and a highly successful one, as she's reached the semifinals without dropping a single set. That's no fluke, either, as she's faced Sabine Lisicki, Maria Sharapova and Garbine Muguruza over the past three rounds.

Matt Zemek of Bloguin notes her rise is an inspiring story of perseverance:

Courtney Nguyen of Sports Illustrated adds that these two players have a history in this event:

When Safarova reached the Wimbledon semifinals last year, she was overwhelmed by the power of Petra Kvitova. The clay obviously takes some of that away, but Ivanovic is another player who can bring the heat when playing her best.

This feels like a match that's going to go the distance and feature plenty of twists and turns along the way. Given the fact Ivanovic has shown signs of the form that allowed her to win the French Open once before, look for her to escape a tricky match with a ticket to the final.

Prediction: Ivanovic in three sets

(1) Serena Williams vs. (23) Timea Bacsinszky

At this stage of a Grand Slam, the conversation usually surrounds how nobody in the women's game can beat Williams when she's playing her best. This time around, however, she's been able to make a deep run despite some mediocre showings by her high standards.

Three straight times in the middle rounds she lost the first set before fighting back to win. The bad news for Bacsinszky and the players in the other semifinal is that she looked far more like her dominant self as she dismantled Sara Errani in the quarters Wednesday.

Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated used a Kimmy Schmidt reference to sum up the top seed's staying power:

While Williams has been a mainstay at the business end of majors, this is Bacsinszky's first trip this deep in a Grand Slam. In fact, before she arrived in Paris, she had never even advanced beyond the third round, so it's quite a jump.

Let's Talk Tennis provided one other interesting note about her success:

As always, the question is how well a player reaching the final four in a major for the first time will respond to the spotlight. The uncertainty increases even more when you consider one of the best players in history will be standing on the opposite side of the net.

Sarah Dawkins of Sky News believes Bacsinszky has a chance to make things difficult for Williams based on her playing style:

Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens both challenged the top seed with a power game. So if the No. 23 seed is able to find a rhythm in the early going, there's a chance she can push it into a third set and potentially even pull off the upset.

That said, between the pressure of reaching this stage for the first time and the elite opponent, Bacsinszky faces an uphill battle. A 20th Grand Slam title is firmly within Williams' grasp, and it's hard to imagine her letting it slip away.

Prediction: Williams in two sets