US Open Tennis 2017: Men's Semifinal TV Schedule, Start Times and Picks
Kevin Anderson takes on Pablo Carreno Busta in the first semi-final of the 2017 U.S. Open on Friday before Rafael Nadal faces Juan Martin del Potro at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Top seed Nadal will be expected to reach the final but faces a tough test against Del Potro, who saw off Roger Federer in the quarter-final. Meanwhile, both Anderson and Carreno Busta will be attempting to reach a Grand Slam final for the first time.
Before a look at the picks, here are the viewing and schedule details for these matches:
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Date: Friday, September 7
Time: 4 p.m. ET/9 p.m. (Friday) BST
TV Info: ESPN (U.S.). Eurosport 1 (UK).
Juan Martin del Potro
Juan Martin del Potro has enjoyed a thrilling U.S. Open so far, coming back from two sets down to beat Dominic Thiem in round four before defeating Federer.
He will need to reproduce that form to beat Nadal, who cruised into the last four with a comfortable three-set win over Andrey Rublev, but he has the pedigree as noted by ESPN Stats & Info:
Speaking after his defeat, Federer explained just what Del Potro's strengths are, per Ben Rothenberg at the New York Times:
Del Potro's forehand has been a huge weapon at the tournament, with which he has already hit 69 winners, per Piers Newbery at BBC Sport.
However, the left-handed Nadal will seek to take advantage of his backhand, which Del Potro has acknowledged, although he has also said he enjoys playing the Spaniard, per Simon Briggs of The Telegraph.
The two players have met in the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows just once previously in 2009, which Del Potro won in three sets on his way to the title and his first, and so far only, Grand Slam title.
Del Potro may be the underdog going into the match but has already shown in this tournament he has the power and endurance to upset the odds.
Kevin Anderson
In the earlier semi-final, Anderson will be hoping to upset the No. 12 seed Carreno Busta, who is yet to drop a set in this tournament, although he has played four qualifiers on his way to the last four.
Anderson has been stretched a little further, taken to four by Sam Querrey in the quarter-final and Paolo Lorenzi in round four.
However, he has already made his mark at Flushing Meadows, becoming the first South African to reach the last four in 14 years, as noted by SuperSport:
Anderson has won both of the previous two meetings between the pair, and his big serve and huge forehand will be his biggest weapons against the Spaniard.
At 31, he may not get a better chance to reach another Grand Slam final in his career, which will surely provide huge motivation, if any were needed, on Friday.
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