US Open Tennis 2015: TV Schedule and Tuesday's Afternoon Draw Predictions
One of sports' greatest sibling rivalries headlines Tuesday's U.S. Open draw. In order for Serena Williams to continue her historic run, she'll have to send her sister packing.
In the matchup everyone eyed once the draw came out, tennis' top attraction will square off against Venus Williams in the quarterfinals. As Serena looks to sweep this year's four majors and lock down Grand Slam No. 22, her older sister will vie for her first semifinal appearance in any major since 2010.
Novak Djokovic will seek admittance into his ninth consecutive U.S. Open semifinals, but the top-ranked male star will play second fiddle to his female counterpart. After all, he's seeking only his 10th career Grand Slam title and third this year.
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Here's a viewing guide for Tuesday's four quarterfinal bouts.
Tuesday TV Schedule
| Noon to 11 p.m. | Quarterfinals | ESPN |
Draw Predictions
| Kristina Mladenovic vs. Roberta Vinci | Mladenovic |
| No. 9 Marin Cilic vs. No. 19 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | Tsonga |
| No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 23 Venus Williams | Serena Williams |
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 18 Feliciano Lopez | Djokovic |
Top Match to Watch: No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 23 Venus Williams
Given Serena's ascension into an all-time great, one would expect a lopsided record in the Williams sisters' head-to-head meetings. As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, though, their collisions have proved to be competitive:
Yet the No. 1-ranked star has had the upper hand recently, capturing six of their last seven showdowns. While they have split four U.S. Open matchups, this marks their first one since 2008. Serena spoke to ESPNW.com's Jane McManus about facing such a familiar opponent:
"I'm playing, for me, the best player in the tournament, and that's never easy. She's beaten me so many times. I've taken a lot of losses off of her -- more than anybody. Yeah, she's a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me, and knows my weaknesses better than anyone. So it's not an easy match at all.
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After overcoming a dropped first set to beat Bethanie Mattek-Sands in Round 3, Serena made easy work of Madison Keys in two 6-3 sets to advance to the quarterfinals. In a smooth effort, the 33-year-old committed zero double-faults and only six unforced errors, per USOpen.org.
Chris Chase of For the Win proclaimed that the fourth-round victory demonstrated Serena at her best, a terrifying sight for anyone standing on the opposite side of the net:
"So, you can say Serena Williams brought her A+ game on Sunday. She was at 110%. She was firing on all cylinders. Use whatever sports cliche you want, but if Serena Williams plays three more matches like that, she’ll roll to her fourth-straight U.S. Open title, her fifth-straight Grand Slam title, her record-tying 22nd major win and, most importantly, just the fourth calendar Slam in the history of tennis.
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After four others fell short, the elder Williams is tasked with dashing her sister's dreams. Along with seeking her fourth straight U.S. Open title, Serena can become the first person since Steffi Graf in 1988 to win all four majors in a single year.
In a tournament where even the No. 2-seeded competitor admitted to pulling for Serena, everyone is well aware of the historic implications. If one of Serena's biggest foes can't help but cheer for her biggest obstacle, imagine how a family member feels.
“I don’t think anyone wants to be a spoiler,” Venus told the Washington Post's Jacob Feldman. “But at the same time, you’re focused on winning your match even though the circumstances are really much different than you.”
If it's any consolation, she won't have to deal with that burden after again falling to Serena.
Prediction: Serena Williams wins in straight sets (6-4, 6-3).
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