US Open Tennis 2016: TV Schedule, Start Times for Thursday Night Draw

Several contenders will take the court Thursday night as the second round wraps up at the 2016 U.S. Open, including women's perennial favorite Serena Williams.

Williams will be part of the only female matchup of the evening, but stars like David Ferrer, Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka will look to overcome scrappy underdogs to continue their runs in the year's final Grand Slam tournament.

Thursday's night play will air on ESPN2 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. The earlier matches can also be viewed on ESPN from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., and a full schedule can be found at USOpen.org. Take a look below at the late matchups, as well as a breakdown of the conclusion of second-round action at the U.S. Open.

Men's Singles
Women's Singles
Matchup	Court	Prediction
No. 19 Steve Johnson vs. Juan Martin del Potro	Arthur Ashe Stadium	Del Potro in 5
Alessandro Giannessi vs. No. 3 Stan Wawrinka	Louis Armstrong Stadium	Wawrinka in 3
No. 14 Nick Kyrgios vs. Horacio Zeballos	Grandstand	Kyrgios in 4
Fabio Fognini vs. No. 11 David Ferrer	Court 17	Ferrer in 4
No. 27 Alexander Zverev vs. Daniel Evans	Court 5	Zverev in 5
Ilya Marchenko vs. Damir Dzumhur	Court 6	Dzumhur in 3
Matchup	Court	Prediction
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Vania King	Arthur Ashe Stadium	Williams in 2

Williams will take on fellow American Vania King in prime time, where she should have a very favorable matchup. She is 1-0 against King, having easily dispatched the 27-year-old in two sets at the 2014 U.S. Open while only dropping one game. 

King has one career tournament title, and she has only made it past the second round twice at the U.S. Open, with the last time being in 2011. Expect the dominant Williams to overpower King and cruise into the third round.

On the men's side, the four top-25 ranked players are Ferrer, Steve Johnson, Kyrgios and Wawrinka.

Wawrinka has the easiest matchup, as he gets the 243rd-ranked player in the world, Alessandro Giannessi, a player who has yet to turn pro. The two have never played, but Wawrinka is a two-time major winner playing against a man competing in his very first U.S. Open. Wawrinka has been good this season with three tournament wins, so look for him to take care of business here.

Ferrer and Kyrgios should also expect to advance. Ferrer is 9-0 against Fabio Fognini, with the latter posting a lackluster 68-100 career record on hard courts. Ferrer is 317-174 on the surface and has made deep runs in this tournament before, making the semifinals in 2012. 

As for Kyrgios, a quick start will be crucial, and he certainly does not take long to exert his fiery energy, per tennis.com's Ed McGrogan:

The 21-year-old is 19-3 this year after winning the first set and 2-9 after dropping the opening frame. His opponent, 31-year-old Horacio Zeballos, is 1-11 when losing the first set and an abysmal 11-80 for his career. Kyrgios has an edge in hard-court prowess, sporting a 36-22 mark compared to Zeballos' 22-37, and in age and speed. Expect Kyrgios to overwhelm Zeballos early and run to victory.

Johnson and Juan Martin del Potro have never faced off, but the unranked Del Potro holds a steady advantage in experience and hard-court history. Johnson, 26, turned pro in 2012 and sports a decent 63-58 career hard-court mark. The 27-year-old Del Potro turned pro in 2005, and he won the U.S. Open in 2009.

Del Potro excels at this venue, and his 229-94 career hard court record backs that up. Tennis.com's Steve Tignor provided even more background on this match that could work into Del Potro's favor.

"Before the tournament, Johnson said he didn’t think U.S. fans would be happy if del Potro got a wild card, and then turned around and beat an American like himself," Stignor wrote. "Well, the former champion got the wild card, and now he has a chance to beat Johnson."

Even though injuries have recently plagued Del Potro, the elements are there for him pull off the upset.

Women's statistics are courtesy of WTA.com.

Men's statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com.