US Open Tennis TV Schedule 2017: Tournament Viewing Info and Early Predictions

Historic heavy hitters like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal still loom for the men, but the 2017 U.S. Open could be a chance for relative newcomers like Garbine Muguruza and Karolina Pliskova to entrench their stakes in tennis' future.

The daunting obstacle that is Serena Williams will not be at Flushing Meadows, once again leaving the door open for others to challenge for a Grand Slam. While the dynamic duo of Federer and Nadal are still around, the men's side is also missing typical contenders in Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.

You can catch all of the action from Monday. Here is a breakdown of the viewing information and television schedule, as well some predictions of what to watch for.

Viewing Guide

The tournament takes off on Monday, with action starting at 11 a.m. ET going until 1 p.m. on ESPN3. ESPN will then broadcast the rest of the day's play until 11 p.m. This will be the schedule until the quarterfinals commence on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Men's and women's coverage will run from noon until 11 p.m. for the two-day quarterfinals. Women's semifinals will air on Thursday, Sept. 7 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m., with the men's semis starting the following day at 4 p.m.

Each final will start at 4 p.m., with the women's showpiece taking place Saturday, Sept. 9 and the men's decider playing out the following day.

A complete schedule can be found at USOpen.org.

Preview

Federer, already with five U.S. Open titles, and Nadal, two, have history on their sides as two of the greatest players to ever live. However, make no mistake that the men's bracket is rather wide open.

Despite rebounding from a knee injury that derailed him last season, Federer has defied the odds in 2017 with two Grand Slams wins, his first since 2012. The Swiss is dealing with a back ailment he suffered in the Rogers Cup final in early August. He has not played since, and although Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Federer does not expect the back to hinder him in New York, it is still a factor to keep in mind.

The injury may explain why the five-time U.S. Open winner landed third in the tournament seedings:

Nadal is seemingly free of injury heading into the tournament, a rarity for him in recent seasons. This makes it logical that the reigning French Open champion is the favorite, but the playing surface has not always been kind to Nadal.

The Spaniard has won 10 of his 15 events on clay. On hard surfaces, Nadal owns an impressive 22-7 mark on the season to go with a career winning percentage of 76.5. Yet this does not make Nadal automatic, especially considering he has no tournament wins this season on hard court, including three losses to Federer.

Andy Murray is also a mystery at this tournament, as he too has dealt with injuries. The Scot has not played since a hip ailment ended his run at Wimbledon. If healthy, Murray would likely be the favorite, although he has uncharacteristically struggled in some big moments this year. A career 67.6 percent winner in fifth sets, he has yet to do so this season.

One of the group of Djokovic, Federer, Murray, Nadal and Wawrinka has won every major since 2009 with the exception of two. With doubts lingering around the top seeds, now seems to be as good a time as ever for someone new to break through.

Youngsters Dominic Thiem and Alex Zverev have the talent to make deep runs. Also, look for a player like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to surprise. He has been excellent with a 17-6 mark on hard court this season, and with the door seemingly open at the U.S. Open, Tsonga may be able to make some noise.

Regardless, expect plenty of upsets and wild results on the men's side.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

As for the women, several names stand out in Williams' absence.

Muguruza is on fire of late, having won the season's most recent Grand Slam in Wimbledon and the latest tournament at Cincinnati. As a result, it comes as no surprise Muguruza thrives on the big stage, which should translate to many more majors for the 23-year-old.

"It's a good position to be in," Muguruza said, per SI.com's Jamie Lisanti. "I don't see it as something negative. I just want to be ready and prepared to face all of these difficult matches. I know sometimes it seems difficult to carry, but I think it's a privilege to be in that position."

That mental fortitude has not fared well at the U.S. Open, though, where Muguruza has yet to advance past the second round in four tries. It is not typical for players with such poor histories to earn a No. 3 seed in a tournament, but Muguruza has the game to back it up.

She is a fast, long player who makes it difficult for opponents beat her on the volley. Thus, she owns a solid 45 percent winning rate this season on return points, which makes her a threat to take sets even when defending against serves.

She is not the top seed, though. That belongs to Pliskova.

The 25-year-old is the sport's No. 1 player, having won three tournaments this season while seemingly always finding herself in the finals or semifinals at each outing. Her all-around game is fantastic, as she sports a 78.6 percent mark in service games while winning 44.1 percent of her return points.

That helped result in a runner-up finish at last year's U.S. Open, but Pliskova has yet to win at a major tournament. Does that mean she can not do so this time around? Certainly not, but it is hard to count on a player with elite talent who has yet to break through on a big stage.

Expect Pliskova to make a deep run, but whether she wins is to be determined. If she does run into Muguruza in the final, she may have a decent shot. Pliskova owns a 6-2 career mark in the matchup.

One player to watch in particular for a surprising run is Angelique Kerber.

Kerber spent a considerable amount of time as the world's top player last season, during which she won the Australian Open and last year's U.S. Open. She also was a runner-up at Wimbledon.

This season is a different story. Kerber has only advanced past the quarterfinals in two tournaments while winning none of them. Her game has seemed to be missing its previous form. According to Chris Evert, the problem may be between the ears, per Kelyn Soong of the Washington Post:

If she rediscovers her game, then look out. Kerber is dominant when playing well. She also has winning records over top seeds Pliskova and Caroline Wozniacki in addition to splitting eight matches with Simona Halep.

The women's title is up for grabs, but look for Kerber, Muguruza and Pliskova to be the main contenders.

Men's statistics are courtesy of ATPWorldTour.com. Women's statistics are courtesy of WTATennis.com.