US Open Tennis 2015: Women's Final Schedule, Prediction and Prize Money

There were two great upsets in the women's semifinals at the U.S. Open on Friday, as both top-seeded Serena Williams and second-seeded Simona Halep were beaten by a pair of Italian players who had barely gotten any respect prior to their shocking victories.

At 32 years old, unseeded Roberta Vinci lost the first set to Williams, and it looked as if Williams might sweep her away.

Player	Opponent	Venue	Time (ET)	Prediction
Flavia Pennetta (26)	Roberta Vinci	Arthur Ashe	3 p.m.	Pennetta

However, Vinci played the best match of her life and rallied to secure one of the great upsets in tennis history. Vinci defeated Williams 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 using an array of drop shots, spins and occasional power that flabbergasted Williams and prevented her from earning a spot in the U.S. Open final for a chance to win the calendar-year Grand Slam.

Prior to that upset, 26th-seeded Flavia Pennetta had her way with Halep in a one-sided 6-1, 6-3 victory. Pennetta's victory would have been a headline-maker because many fans thought Halep was one of the few players in the tournament with the game to give Serena a problem.

"

Serena Williams was a 30-1 favorite to win. Roberta Vinci was a 12-1 underdog. pic.twitter.com/4hnAPQdAZv

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 11, 2015"

Pennetta used an array of forehands and backhands to each corner, and she was able to keep her highly ranked opponent on the run throughout the match.

Vinci and Pennetta, who is 33 years old, know each other well and will play for the U.S. Open title Saturday.

"

16 years before tomorrow's #USOpen final, Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci won French Open Girls' doubles together. pic.twitter.com/qv9gvmnTNJ

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 11, 2015"

Finish	Winnings
Winner (1)	$3,300,000
Runner-Up (1)	$1,600,000
Semifinalists (2)	$805,000
Quarterfinalists (4)	$410,975
Round of 16 (8)	$213,575
Third Round (16)	$120,200
Second Round (32)	$68,600
First Round (64)	$39,500
Total (128)	$33,017,800

They have been teammates for years on the Italian Davis Cup team, and they have also played nine tournament singles matches against each other. Pennetta holds a slight 5-4 lead, and she defeated Vinci in straight sets in their last meeting in the 2013 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Vinci has not won a singles title this year. Her victory over Williams raised her record to 26-20 in 2015. She has earned slightly more than $420,000 this year.

Pennetta has a 23-15 record and is also looking for her first singles tournament championship of the year. She has won more than $700,000.

Both Vinci and Pennetta will see their earnings rise significantly after Saturday's championship match. The winner will earn $3.3 million, while the runner-up will bring home $1.6 million.

"

Flavia Pennetta was 200-1 underdog to win the US Open before the tournament began. Roberta Vinci was not listed (according to @Westgate_LV)

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 11, 2015"

Vinci defeated Vania King, Denisa Allertova and Mariana Duque-Marino in the first three rounds before walking over Eugenie Bouchard (concussion) in the fourth round. Vinci then beat Kristina Mladenovic in the quarterfinals before taking on and beating Williams.

"It's amazing, like a dream," Vinci said in her on-court interview with ESPN's Tom Rinaldi (via Greg Garber). "I'm in the final. I beat Serena."

Pennetta defeated Jarmila Gajdosova, Monica Niculescu and Petra Cetkovska in her first three U.S. Open matches before beating 22nd-seeded Samantha Stosur in the fourth round and fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals.

Pennetta has surprised herself with her showing in the tournament. "I mean, it's amazing," Pennetta told Melissa Isaacson of ESPN.com. "I didn't think [I'd] be so far into the tournament. ... I didn't know how [I'd] handle the pressure I had."

While both women are coming off huge upset wins, it may be harder for Vinci to refocus after beating Serena, so the edge goes to Pennetta.