US Open Tennis 2015: Wednesday Night Viewing Info, Federer vs. Gasquet Preview

Roger Federer will attempt to punch his ticket to the U.S. Open semifinals for the 10th time in the past 12 years Wednesday night when he takes on Richard Gasquet. It's the 17th career meeting between the pair with Federer holding a clear 14-2 edge.

While the Swiss superstar owns 17 Grand Slam titles, he's won just once on the sport's biggest stages since 2011. He's in position to potentially end that drought after a strong summer that included reaching the Wimbledon final and winning a star-studded Cincinnati tune-up event.

There are no gimmes at this stage of a major, however. So let's check out all of the key details for Federer's latest match under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium. That's followed by a preview and prediction for Day 10's main event.

Viewing Information

Where: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City

When: Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Match Preview

Federer reached the quarterfinals without dropping a set, though the journey has been more difficult than that fact would suggest. He didn't play his best tennis against Philipp Kohlschreiber and needed some clutch tiebreak points against John Isner to avoid an extended battle with the top-ranked American.

While he must elevate his level of play to win his first Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2012, he's pleased with his fitness. That's always a concern at this stage of his career, but he put in some extra work between majors to prepare, as noted by the ATP World Tour.

"I gave myself that extra week to be in the gym, be on the practice courts. Thankfully it was nice and hot in Switzerland that time around. We also had around 90 degrees as I was practicing," Federer said. "So I feel like I could work on my game a little bit, I could rest up as well. So I come into the business end of the tournament with a good mindset and a good body."

One of the reasons Federer's Grand Slam pace has slowed in recent years is the inability to play his best tennis at the business end of events. Fatigue starts to cause problems and leads to uncharacteristic mistakes. So the fact he's feeling good is crucial.

Going up against Gasquet is an intriguing task. As mentioned, the No. 2 seed has dominated their previous meetings, but the Frenchman is playing some inspired tennis in New York. His list of wins so far is impressive: Thanasi Kokkinakis, Robin Haase, Bernard Tomic and Tomas Berdych.

He's playing aggressive tennis and using his dangerous backhand as the weapon it's always been meant to be. The question is whether he has changed enough tactically to find more consistent success against an opponent with a similar game but who typically plays at a higher level.

Dan Weston of Pinnacle Sports highlighted Gasquet's struggles against top opponents over the past couple seasons:

One thing the No. 12 seed certainly needs to prepare for his Federer's new SABR technique. Predictably he didn't use the sneak attack on second serves much against Isner, but it should be back in the rotation pretty heavily Wednesday night.

All told, Gasquet is playing well enough to challenge Federer. His effort over the last three sets against Berdych suggests he can win at least one set off the five-time U.S. Open champion. Pulling off the upset would take an even better showing, though.

Federer knows this is a golden opportunity to add another Grand Slam title to his already legendary resume, especially with Andy Murray out of the picture. It's going to take a top-tier performance to beat him and, as the record shows, Gasquet hasn't been able to play that type of tennis against him.

Prediction: Federer in four sets