US Open Tennis 2015 Draw: Breaking Down TV Schedule and Brackets

On Thursday, August 27, the men's and women's draw for the 2015 U.S. Open was released. There are several storylines to follow in this year's tournament, but perhaps the most compelling is Serena Williams' attempt to sweep the Grand Slam events this calendar year.

Here's a look at the TV schedule and viewing information for the entire tournament, per USOpen.org:

First Round

(All times are ET)

• Aug. 31: 1-6 p.m., ESPN; 6-11 p.m., ESPN2
• Sept. 1: 1-11 p.m., ESPN

Second Round

• Sept. 2: 1-6 p.m., ESPN; 6-11 p.m., ESPN2
• ​Sept. 3: 1-5 p.m., ESPN; 5-11 p.m., ESPN2

Third Round

• Sept. 4: 1-6 p.m., ESPN, 6-11 p.m., ESPN2
• Sept. 5: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., ESPN2

Round of 16 

• Sept. 6: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., ESPN2
• Sept. 7: 11 a.m.-11 p.m., ESPN2

Quarterfinals

• Sept. 8: Noon-11 p.m., ESPN
• Sept. 9: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.. ESPN, 8 p.m.-11 p.m., ESPN2

Semifinals

• Sept. 10, 7-11 p.m., ESPN (Women's semis)
• Sept. 11, 3-11 p.m., ESPN (Men's semis)

Finals

• Sept. 12, 3-6 p.m., ESPN (Women's finals)
• Sept. 13, 4-7 p.m., ESPN (Men's finals)

Click here to see the brackets for the men and women's draw.

If Williams is going to complete the feat, she'll have to earn it. Williams' path to history could include a match with Sloane Stephens, her sister Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanovic, and that's all before she even reaches the final.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

ESPN analyst and former pro, Brad Gilbert, believes Serena can win, but he thinks the road could be tough for the future Hall of Famer. Gilbert told Chris Chase of For the Win/USA Today:

"

She has a brutal draw. That quarter is loaded. But sometimes you can see a quarter, doesn’t matter if it’s men’s or women’s, and you have to go through all the land mines. Then sometimes you look at it and think “what the heck happened to this section?” Three or four days later, people you thought were going to be there are upset and it’s not as difficult.  But to answer your question: I’m not expecting a loss. I want to see history.

"

Another man who is rooting for Williams is No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic. Per Jim Slater of Yahoo Sports, Djokovic said:

"I am sending her good vibes. I hope she does it. She's a true champion and she is impressive."

Djokovic doesn't have quite as tough of a draw—at least on paper—as he attempts to win his third Grand Slam title this year. No. 8 seed Rafael Nadal is on Djokovic's side of the draw, and the two could potentially meet in the semifinals, but that doesn't spell the same danger it once did for the top seed.

Nadal hasn't won a Grand Slam event in 2015. If the two were to meet, Djokovic would likely be the huge favorite.

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Before Djokovic gets that far, his toughest possible path would include Joao Souza in the opening round, Vasek Pospisil, No. 25 seed Andreas Seppi and No. 14 seed David Goffin. 

On the other side of the men's draw, No. 2-seeded Roger Federer, No. 3 Andy Murray or No. 5 Stan Wawrinka are the players who will most likely be waiting to face Djokovic, should he advance to the finals.

Federer turned 34 on August 8, but he's barely shown any regression in his game. He remains a major threat to any player in the draw, and he'd possibly be a favorite against everyone except Djokovic. There's no question Murray and Wawrinka have the skills to win in New York. Wawrinka owns the other Grand Slam title this year, but neither he nor Murray has been as consistent as Federer.

Both No. 1 seeds will be in action on the first day of competition as Djokovic takes on Souza early and Williams faces Russia's Vitalia Diatchenko in the evening's feature match. Don't expect any upsets in either of those matches. If you're tuning in, you'll probably be watching just to gauge the top seeds' form early in the tournament.

In any case, it's great to have an opportunity to catch the entire tournament on television. ESPN's wall-to-wall coverage is a tennis fans' dream come true.