US Open Tennis 2017 Men's Final: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream

Kevin Anderson and Rafael Nadal will meet for the fifth time when they face off in the men's singles final at the 2017 U.S. Open.  

The match is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, with ESPN providing television coverage. Fans can also stream the match on WatchESPN.

For Anderson, simply reaching the final is a massive achievement. The 31-year-old had reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal only once (the 2015 U.S. Open) in his career prior to this tournament.

There's no question Anderson has benefited from a favorable draw—Pablo Carreno Busta, the No. 12 seed, was the highest-ranked player he beat en route to the final. But the 6'8" South African could only play the opponents in front of him, and a Grand Slam final carries the same weight regardless of one's path.

Anderson also detailed how his 2017 season didn't exactly get off to a great start.

"At the end of last year I was told I probably needed surgery on my hip," he said in his post-match interview with ESPN, per the ATP World Tour's official site. "It's nine months after thinking I would need to undergo a year's worth of rehab after surgery, so this means the world to me."

Because of his heavy serve, Anderson can't be easily dismissed in Sunday's final. He had 22 aces alone in the semifinals against Carreno Busta, and he ranks seventh in serve rating, according to the ATP World Tour's official website.

The trouble for Anderson will come when Nadal is able to neutralize that serve by earning a break or two in a given set. And in terms of matchups, Anderson couldn't have a much worse opponent.

Nadal ranks third in return rating, and he's looking altogether unstoppable in New York City, having dropped three total sets in his first six matches at the 2017 U.S. Open.

Nadal's semifinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro encapsulated everything that has played into his commanding performances. He won 77 percent of his first-service points and 72 percent of his second-service points. He accumulated 45 winners as well, 25 of which came from groundstrokes and passing shots.

Nadal took del Potro apart from the baseline with surgical precision, and he used his speed to keep himself in points, further depleting del Potro's energy reserves as the 2009 U.S. Open champion struggled to put his opponent away.

Del Potro's 23 winners were fewer than half as many as he had in his quarterfinal win over Roger Federer (48).

Anderson basically needs everything to break right to beat Nadal, something he hasn't done in any of their four previous head-to-head matches. Not only must he be dominant on serve, but he'll also require some help from Nadal, whether it be a poor service game here and there or just generally looking out of sorts.

By the time the curtain closes on the 2017 U.S. Open, Nadal will likely be lifting the 16th Grand Slam title of his career.