US Open Tennis 2015: Women's Semifinal TV Schedule, Predictions and More

Despite the chaos and unpredictability of the women's singles draw at the 2015 U.S. Open, the top two seeds are still alive as No. 1 Serena Williams and No. 2 Simona Halep will both play Friday for a chance to reach the final.

While few are surprised that Serena and Halep are still going strong, the same can't necessarily be said for their opponents. Williams' latest hurdle en route to a calendar Grand Slam is unseeded Italian veteran Roberta Vinci, while Halep must get past a seasoned Italian player as well in No. 26 Flavia Pennetta.

Both Williams and Halep will be heavily favored, but neither can afford to take their opponents lightly since they have taken down some high-quality players along the way already.

As Friday's semifinal matches approach, here is a closer look at both clashes along with the viewing information you need to enjoy tennis at its finest.

Women's Semifinal Schedule

Match	Date	Time (ET)	Player 1	Player 2	Watch	Predicted Winner
Women's Semifinal	Friday, Sept. 11	11 a.m.	(1) Serena Williams	Roberta Vinci	ESPN	Williams
Women's Semifinal	Friday, Sept. 11	1 p.m.	(26) Flavia Pennetta	(2) Simona Halep	ESPN	Halep

Breaking Down Women's Semifinal Matches

(1) Serena Williams vs. Roberta Vinci

Serena has had a few struggles along the way in dropping sets to the likes of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and sister Venus Williams, but now that she has made it to the semifinals, it is difficult to imagine anything preventing her from reaching her ultimate goal.

She still has to play out the next two matches, though, and her first test comes against an extremely crafty player in Vinci. This marks the 32-year-old underdog's first career Grand Slam final, and it couldn't possibly come against a more intimidating opponent.

As evidenced by this tweet courtesy of ESPN Stats and Info, Williams blows Vinci out of the water when it comes to experience in big matches:

Most are discounting Vinci's chances well in advance, including BBC's Jeff Tarango, who joked that Vinci would need aid from doubles partner Sara Errani in order to take down Serena, according to David Law of BBC:

Despite the obvious gaps in talent and Grand Slam semifinal experience, Serena is well aware of the threat posed by Vinci. While Williams is usually extremely hard to beat at this point in a Grand Slam, she has been ousted by seemingly lesser players on several occasions.

Per Hannah Wilks of Live-Tennis.com, Serena is wary of what Vinci brings to the table, even after beating her 6-4, 6-3 recently in Toronto:

"

She played me really tough, and I didn't really expect that. That's how I sprained my finger actually, was playing against her. Thankfully my finger is a little better now. But, yeah, so I'm not going to underestimate her. She played really well. She's not in the semifinals of a Grand Slam for no reason. She knows what to do and she knows what to play.

"

Williams is well aware of how heavily favored she is, but she somehow always finds a way to remain focused, and that leads to victories more often than not.

Serena holds a career record of 4-0 against Vinci, and even though the underdog will be motivated to win the biggest match of her life, Williams' power will prove to be too much.

A big challenge could await her in the final, but Serena won't allow herself to fall to Vinci when she is this close to her ultimate goal. Expect a fairly straightforward, straight-sets win for the best women's tennis player in the world. 

(26) Flavia Pennetta vs. (2) Simona Halep

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The second women's semifinal may very well be overshadowed by Serena's presence, but in terms of match quality, the meeting between Pennetta and Halep has the potential to be extremely competitive and entertaining.

Halep has developed into one of the most consistent women's players on tour, and she has made massive strides over the past couple of years. She made her first Grand Slam final last year at the French Open, and this marks the furthest she has ever advanced at the U.S. Open.

The 33-year-old Pennetta has been a feast-or-famine player for much of her career, but she is now in her second U.S. Open semifinal, and she would undoubtedly love to reach a Grand Slam final for the very first time.

Although the rankings suggest that Halep should be a heavy favorite, Pennetta has actually enjoyed a great deal of success against her Romanian opponent, according to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

Pennetta beat Halep in each of their first three meetings, including a clash at the 2013 U.S. Open. Halep won their most recent match, though, at this year's Miami Masters. Halep is a far more complete player now than she was in past years, so the overall record may not mean much.

There is no question that Pennetta is well aware of Halep's improvements, and she expects an extremely difficult and hard-fought match because of them, per WTA Insider:

While both Pennetta and Halep are strong players, many seem to believe they are playing for nothing more than a chance to be a footnote in history.

Andrew Das of the New York Times doesn't believe any of the remaining players have any chance of ending Williams' pursuit of a calendar Slam:

There is no doubt that the odds will be stacked against the winner of this match in the final, but they would both love to have the opportunity to stop Serena at the very least.

Based on the manner in which Halep was able to outlast a similarly powerful player in Victoria Azarenka during the quarters, she is likely a bigger threat to Williams than Pennetta.

Both Halep and Pennetta have played some competitive three-setters in New York City, and their semifinal clash figures to go the distance as well with Halep coming out on the winning end.

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