US Open Tennis 2016 Schedule: TV Coverage, Live Stream for Wednesday Afternoon
Serena Williams will face the most difficult challenge of her U.S. Open title defence so far on Wednesday when she meets the dangerous Simona Halep.
The top seed has been in imperious form at Flushing Meadows, coasting into the quarter-finals with minimal fuss. Halep has plenty of big-game pedigree, though, and she will pose the 22-time Grand Slam champion with a few testing questions.
Also in immaculate form is Andy Murray, and he will take on Kei Nishikori earlier in the day. Sandwiching these two enticing tussles will be other quarter-final matches, with teenager Ana Konjuh facing Karolina Pliskova and Juan Martin del Potro up against Stanislas Wawrinka.
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Here’s a closer look at the clashes to come and all the key viewing details for what’ll be an absorbing day on the Arthur Ashe court.
| 12 p.m. | Ana Konjuh vs. (10) Karolina Pliskova |
| 1 p.m. | (6) Kei Nishikori vs. (2) Andy Murray |
| 7 p.m. | (1) Serena Williams vs. (5) Simona Halep |
| 7 p.m. | Juan Martin del Potro vs. (3) Stanislas Wawrinka |
TV Info: ESPN (U.S.), Eurosport (U.K.)
Live Stream: Watch ESPN (U.S.), Eurosport Player (U.K.)
Williams on Course for More Glory
Yaroslava Shvedova was the latest player to fall hopelessly short against Williams at the U.S. Open, as she took just five games off the champion.
It was another hugely comprehensive outing from Williams. Once again she blended power and precision masterfully, with seemingly a few more gears to go through if needed. Indeed, the only concern for the veteran at this stage of the tournament is that she has yet to be suitably tested.
While her ultimate aim will be to secure her 23rd Grand Slam crown on Saturday, Williams grabbed another record with her latest victory, as we can see here courtesy of SportsCenter:
“I think it's very significant actually,” she said of her record win, per BBC Sport. “I definitely never thought I would be playing still. Now I don't really see when I'm going to stop!”
Halep is a player of major calibre, though, and the Romanian will be desperate to take another step toward her first major title.
The fifth seed impressed in Round 4, professionally dealing with a very difficult opponent in Carla Suarez Navarro. However, on the eight occasions they’ve met in the past, Halep has only gotten the better of Williams on one occasion.
The other women’s match, and the curtain-raiser for the day, will be intriguing, too. Pliskova is playing the quarter-final of a Grand Slam for the first time, although the occasion will surely be more daunting for Konjuh, who, at 18, has performed remarkably to make it so far.
The WTA Insider Twitter feed provided us with the numbers behind her stunning win over fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska:
In the men’s draw, Murray is looking almost unstoppable as he chases the fourth Grand Slam title of his career.
The second seed produced a clinic in his last outing against Grigor Dimitrov, with the Bulgarian taking just five games from the three sets played. Murray’s blend of fitness, dynamism and ability to clinch clutch points make him the favourite for glory at Flushing Meadows in the eyes of many, even with Novak Djokovic still in the hunt.
As BBC’s Russell Fuller noted here, in addition to playing arguably the finest tennis of his life, Murray also cuts a relaxed figure at this year’s U.S. Open:
Nishikori made it to the final here in 2014, so he knows what’s required to win big matches on these courts. He has had to battle hard to make it to this point, and Murray will surely prove to be too good for his Japanese opponent.
Wednesday’s final encounter should be the cherry on top of an excellent feast of tennis. Del Potro, the champion here in 2009, has enjoyed a renaissance this season after a sustained injury layoff and will play in his first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2013. Wawrinka, seeded third, has shown plenty of steel to make it this far, too.
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