US Open Tennis 2015: TV Schedule and Men's Semifinal Predictions

While the men's draw produced a few surprises in the earlier rounds, it is hard to imagine a much better group of semifinalists than the ones at the 2015 U.S. Open.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic remains the favorite as the No. 1 seed and winner of three of the last five Grand Slam titles. The only two other men to win championships in this stretch—Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka—are also still alive in the semifinals. No. 9 Cilic is actually the defending champion after winning the U.S. Open a year ago.

This leaves Roger Federer, a player who just happens to have the most Grand Slam titles of any man in history with 17. Although he hasn't won a championship since 2012, counting out the No. 2 seed would be a huge mistake.

No matter who wins, this is certain to be an exciting pair of matches leading to the 2015 final. Here is a look at what to expect from Friday's action.

U.S. Open Men's Semifinals

When: Friday, Sept. 11

Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York

Start Time: 5 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: Watch ESPN

No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 9 Marin Cilic

David Goldman/Associated Press

No one has been more consistent than Djokovic over the past few years. The Serbian has reached 26 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals and is set to compete in his 21st semifinal in his last 22 appearances.

When he is at his best, there is no one in the world who can beat him. Unfortunately, he hasn't exactly been at his best so far at the U.S. Open. He described his recent win over Feliciano Lopez as almost a tossup, per ATPWorldTour.com:

"

I thought I played a pretty good first set, and then after that I was just trying to hang in there and wait for the opportunities. I played good at the beginning of the third. Fourth was anybody's game, really. Didn't have many chances on his service games. Played a very good tie-break; that's a positive.

"

He struggled with his accuracy on the serve as well before finally getting more comfortable in the final few sets. If he hadn't saved five of six break points, his four-set victory could have been a much different match. 

This could leave the door open for Cilic to come through with another surprising victory. The Croatian star has been simply dominant with his serve in this tournament, totaling 111 aces in five matches. He has won at least 76 percent of his first-serve points in every single round so far.

Djokovic does a great job of attacking an opponent's second serve, but this might not be enough with the way Cilic has hit the ball.

Just as importantly, the 26-year-old is playing with the mindset of a winner, according to ESPN's Howard Bryant:

Like Lopez, Cilic can also give Djokovic trouble by aggressively going to the net and producing winners when it matters. If he is able to win the key points in the match, there is no reason he can't extend his current winning streak of 12 straight victories at the U.S. Open.

Although endurance might be an issue in what will likely be long match, Cilic has an impressive 21-9 record in fifth sets, giving him a chance to complete the upset.

Prediction: Cilic wins 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4

No. 2 Roger Federer vs. No. 5 Stan Wawrinka

Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The All-Switzerland semifinal features an aging superstar against a younger player quickly becoming one of the best in the sport. Of course, the older Federer is not quite ready to pass the torch to Wawrinka and give up his reign just yet.

At 34 years old, Federer is not just hanging around, but truly thriving. After losing to Djokovic in the finals at Wimbledon this year, he prepared for the U.S. Open with a dominant title run in Cincinnati, beating Djokovic, Andy Murray and everyone else he faced in straight sets.

This strong play has carried over into the U.S. Open, with the superstar winning all 15 of his sets. Dan Wolken of USA Today noted how well the veteran has played this week:

The easy disposal of top players like John Isner and Richard Gasquet will make sure he stays fresh and at the top of his game as the tournament continues. He needed just 87 minutes to beat Gasquet in the quarterfinals, and as ESPN's Trey Wingo noted, he did it without wasted effort:

Wawrinka could be in for a rude awakening as he faces a player of this magnitude after getting a fortunate path through the draw to this point. Wawrinka's quarterfinal matchup against No. 15 Kevin Anderson presented the only seeded opponent he has faced at the U.S. Open, with Jack Sock, Viktor Troicki and Andy Murray all going down in upsets the round prior.

While there is obviously nothing Wawrinka can do about whom he faces, it's clear things will be much tougher in this match. He won't be able to finish a set winning all 12 service points like he did in the third against Anderson.

The real challenge will be returning the serve from Federer, who has 31 aces and just three double-faults in the last two rounds. If he keeps this up, there won't be anything Wawrinka can do to slow him down.

Federer has won 16 of 19 head-to-head battles in this rivalry, with the only losses coming on clay. Unlike Cilic (0-13 vs. Djokovic), Wawrinka won't be able to change history in this one.

Prediction: Federer wins 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4

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