US Open Tennis 2016 Schedule: TV Coverage, Live Stream for Women's Semi-Finals

Serena Williams and Angelique Kerber have already met in two Grand Slam finals in 2016, with the world No. 1 prevailing at Wimbledon following her defeat to the German at the Australian Open.

A repeat contest could be on the cards at the 2016 U.S. Open, with both women—the top ranked players in the world—having reached the semi-finals.

At Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows on Thursday, Williams, 34, will take on No. 10 seed Karolina Pliskova before world No. 2 Kerber faces a resurgent Caroline Wozniacki.

The evening's action in New York gets under way at 7 p.m. ET (midnight BST), with ESPN 2 broadcasting both matches in the U.S. (available on live stream via ESPN Player) and Eurosport 1 (Eurosport Player) in the UK. 

Serena Williams (1) vs. Karolina Pliskova (10)

Among the numerous records Williams has set in her stunning career, her recent run as the No. 1 player in the world is one of the most impressive, per bwin:

That she has been so consistently brilliant for so long is what makes the American inarguably one of the best players of all time.

However, her No. 1 spot is under threat from Kerber. Williams must reach the U.S. Open final to retain her top spot and must then beat Kerber if the German gets through her semi as well, per Nancy Armour of USA Today.

While Williams undoubtedly needed no more motivation than simply aiming for her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, her ambition to stay on top will surely give her even more drive to go all the way at the U.S. Open.

	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Williams	Absent	Final	Won	Won	Won	Semi-final	Semi-final*
Pliskova	Qual Rd 1	Qual Rd 1	Qual Rd 2	First Round	Third Round	First Round	Semi-final*

Standing in between Williams and a spot in a ninth U.S. Open final is Czech world No. 11 Pliskova.

The 24-year-old has had an impressive tournament, beating No. 17 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round before edging out No. 6 seed Venus Williams in the fourth.

Elsa/Getty Images

However, Pliskova is in uncharted territory. Before this year's U.S. Open, she had never before made it further than the third round at a Grand Slam.

While she does have six WTA titles to her name—most recently beating Kerber in the final of the Western and Southern Open in August—her inexperience in the latter stages of a major tournament will likely count against her, especially as she is up against a veteran of 309 Grand Slam match victories. 

Williams' drive, experience and form are likely to see her through to yet another final as she looks to stay on top of the world rankings.

Caroline Wozniacki vs. Angelique Kerber (2)

In Thursday's second semi-final at Arthur Ashe, it is actually the underdog who boasts the superior experience at the U.S. Open.

Kerber, 28, is appearing in only her second semi-final in New York—having lost at the same stage in 2011—while it is a fifth time in the last four for the 26-year-old Wozniacki.

JEWEL SAMAD/Getty Images

The Danish former world No. 1 saw off Anastasija Sevastova 6-0, 6-2 in the quarters, while Kerber eased past No. 7 seed Roberta Vinci 7-5, 6-0.

The German is undoubtedly the form player out of the two. She has enjoyed a stellar 2016 and is one match away from a third Grand Slam final of the year.

As well as looking to claim a second major career victory, the chance of being the world No. 1 is also an obvious driver for Kerber.

"When I was a kid, I was always dreaming to be the No. 1," she said earlier this week, per PA Sport (via Eurosport).

Kerber facing up to Williams in a battle for the U.S. Open title and the No. 1 spot would be the perfect final for many, but Wozniacki has more than enough pedigree to cause an upset.

She is a two-time previous finalist at Flushing Meadows and is on her way back to form after a couple of miserable years. Wozniacki will have just as much drive as Kerber to prove she can still beat the best.