US Open Tennis 2015: TV Schedule and Monday's Afternoon Draw Predictions
Some of the tournament's top favorites, along with a slew of surprises, flood the Labor Day slate at the 2015 U.S. Open, with Monday featuring four scintillating fourth-round matchups in both the men's and women's draws.
Casual fans will be able to soak in star-studded matchups featuring the likes of Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray on the men's side. As for the ladies, second-seeded Simona Halep attempts to charge her way into the quarterfinals.
Here's a glance at the TV viewing information as well as a breakdown of Monday's afternoon and night matches.
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Monday TV Schedule
| 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. | Round-of-16 Coverage | ESPN2 |
Live stream available all day on WatchESPN.
Afternoon Draw Predictions
| No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 13 John Isner | Federer |
| No. 3 Andy Murray vs. No. 15 Kevin Anderson | Murray |
| No. 5 Stan Wawrinka vs. Donald Young | Wawrinka |
| No. 6 Tomas Berdych vs. No. 12 Richard Gasquet | Berdych |
| No. 2 Simona Halep vs. No. 24 Sabine Lisicki | Halep |
| No. 5 Petra Kvitova vs. Johanna Konta | Kvitova |
| No. 22 Samantha Stosur vs. No. 26 Flavia Pennetta | Stosur |
| No. 20 Victoria Azarenka vs. Varvara Lepchenko | Azarenka |
Schedule of play available at USOpen.org.
Match to Watch: No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 13 John Isner
A vast majority of the action on Monday's Labor Day slate in Queens, New York, is must-watch stuff. But if there's one matchup that is pure appointment television, it's the nightcap at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Second-seeded Swiss legend Roger Federer, a former champion at Flushing Meadows whose five-year title streak from 2004 to 2008 is largely unmatched in U.S. Open history, goes up against the top American player of today in John Isner.
It's a golden opportunity for the 30-year-old, who has made only one quarterfinal appearance in his Grand Slam career, to break into the final eight for the second time ever at Flushing Meadows. Isner has to go back to only 2011 to remember his strongest showing at the tournament, but Federer has the edge over his counterpart, as ESPN's John Buccigross noted:
Isner has made it to the fourth round only three other times at Grand Slams, and he's usually gassed by that point after exhausting matches filled with dozens of aces. That's not the case this time, however. He's played only eight sets so far, winning his first two matches in straight sets and seeing Jiri Vesely withdraw after two sets in the third round.
That big serve from Isner is something that could trouble Federer, even with a new weapon in his arsenal: an aggressive, attacking return. He may not be so keen to use it come Monday night against one of the game's most powerful servers, per the Associated Press' Howard Fendrich (via Yahoo Sports).
"The idea is not to use it very much against a player like that," Federer said. "I have done pretty well over the years against big servers, so, I mean, clearly I will think about it. But I don't think that's going to be the turning point of the match, to be quite honest. I need to make sure I protect my own serve first."
As the year's final major commences, Federer is peaking with three straight-set wins, including a comfortable victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round, but he's still looking for his first major title since 2012. The 34-year-old came drastically close earlier this year at Wimbledon before falling to Novak Djokovic in a four-set finale.
Could Isner's improving form and blasting serve frustrate Federer enough to give him his worst Grand Slam finish of the year? It's not likely, especially considering Federer's 4-1 record against Isner. His only defeat came in an international tournament on clay.
In all of their other meetings combined, Federer has spotted Isner only one set. That much would be surprising Monday, given how Federer has looked lately and the sheer skill gap between the two ball-strikers.
Prediction: Federer wins 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
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