US Open Tennis 2015: TV Schedule, Start Times for Thursday Night Draw
The U.S. Open is a special Grand Slam due to the fact great players get to compete under the lights in prime time, and there is no question that the stars will be out Thursday night in New York.
Five-time U.S. Open champion Roger Federer will clash with Belgium's Steve Darcis in the featured men's match of the night, while the women's draw will be highlighted by two-time U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki facing off against Petra Cetkovska.
As the fourth night of action at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens approaches, here is everything you need to know about when and where to watch the night's top matchups, as well as further analysis regarding how both contests are shaping up.
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Thursday's Night Schedule
| Men's Second Round | 7 p.m. | (2) Roger Federer | Steve Darcis | ESPN2 |
| Women's Second Round | 9:30 p.m. | (4) Caroline Wozniacki | Petra Cetkovska | ESPN2 |
Breaking Down Thursday Night Matchups
(2) Roger Federer vs. Steve Darcis
Federer entered the U.S. Open on a major hot streak as he won the Cincinnati Masters by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final round. His dominance continued Tuesday against Leonardo Mayer, which means Darcis may be running into a buzz saw.
Fed looks better than he has in years, and he has an excellent chance to win his first Grand Slam title since 2012. The Swiss superstar is favored to advance to the final in a potential rematch with Djoker, and Darcis may prove to be little more than a stepping stone.
The two veterans have never played against each other before, but Federer is in the midst of a remarkable run against Belgian players, according to bwin on Twitter:
While the 34-year-old Federer is a 17-time Grand Slam champion and the 31-year-old Darcis has never advanced past the third-round at a Grand Slam tournament, there are actually some parallels with regard to their style of play.
As pointed out by BBC's David Law, they are both somewhat elegant on the court, especially when it comes to hitting the backhand:
Federer operates at an entirely different level, though, and he has a huge edge in terms of experience—especially when it comes to playing in big matches in front of massive crowds.
There may be some butterflies in Darcis' stomach when he takes the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium Thursday night, but Fed welcomes the atmosphere with open arms, per the U.S. Open's official Twitter account:
While Federer is the obvious favorite, he can't afford to take Darcis too lightly. Rafael Nadal may have done that in the first round at Wimbledon in 2013, and it cost him as the underrated Belgian pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history.
Darcis will look to pull off a similar feat Thursday, but based on how locked in Federer is right now, anything other than a straight-sets victory for Fed seems unlikely.
(4) Caroline Wozniacki vs. Petra Cetkovska
Fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki entered the 2015 U.S. Open as a definite threat to make a deep run due to her past success in the tournament, but she will have an extremely tricky matchup on her hands Thursday night.
The Danish star will take on veteran Petra Cetkovska, who ousted Wozniacki in the second round of Wimbledon in 2013. Although Wozniacki has a 2-1 career record against Cetkovska, the unseeded underdog could very well have the mental edge.
At the same time, Wozniacki struggled mightily in 2012 and 2013, as her best result in Grand Slams was a single quarterfinal appearance. She is a much different player now, especially after rebounding with a U.S. Open final appearance last year.
According to an article she wrote for The Players' Tribune, Wozniacki loves the U.S. Open, due in large part to the fact it helped her rediscover her groove after a very difficult stretch of her career.
"As for this year, honestly, I'm just excited," Wozniacki wrote. "The U.S. Open is my favorite tournament. And, on top of that, it just means something to me personally. It’s where I found myself—and then, when a lot of people had written me off, found myself again."
Cetkovska has fallen off the map a bit in recent years after once positioning herself as a top-25 player. Her Grand Slam success is spotty as she has never advanced past the fourth round and has never done better than a second-round result at the U.S. Open.
The fact that she knows how to beat Wozniacki in an important match is something that should help her, but since Wozniacki will have a ton of crowd support—much like Federer—she'll find a way to overcome what promises to be a stiff challenge.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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