US Open Tennis 2018: Schedule, Dates, Times, Live Stream and Predictions

The best tennis players in the world descend upon the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center over the next two weeks in search of winning the season's final Grand Slam. 

The 2018 tennis season witnessed three different men and women take home majors, with Novak Djokovic and Angelique Kerber being the latest champions at Wimbledon. 

With a plethora of talented players in each bracket, we could see the rare occurrence of eight different major champions in a single season. 

Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens won the 2017 U.S. Open titles, and based off the draw they've each received, they'll be in contention again.

Below is a look at the full U.S. Open schedule, as well as predictions for the season's final Grand Slam.

U.S. Open Schedule

Play begins at the U.S. Open August 27, with matches at 11 a.m. ET and TV coverage on ESPN starting an hour later. 

During the first week of play, TV coverage starts at noon ET, with primetime tennis starting at 7 p.m. ET. 

All matches will be streamed on ESPN3 and ESPN+, while Tennis Channel airs encore coverage overnight throughout the tournament, per the tournament's official website. 

The women's final takes place Saturday, September 8 at 4 p.m. ET, and the men's final occurs at the same time Sunday, September 9. 

Predictions

Federer's U.S. Open Drought Continues

The greatest player in men's tennis history has experienced his share of struggles in New York over the last decade. 

Since reeling off five straight titles from 2004-2008,  Roger Federer's made it back to the U.S. Open final on two occasions. 

In the same 10-year span, he's won Wimbledon and Australian Open three times and the French Open on one occasion. 

John Minchillo/Associated Press

As the third-seeded player in the draw a year ago, Federer fell in the quarterfinals to Juan Martin Del Potro, and he's in line to suffer a similar fate in 2018. 

The draw didn't do Federer, who is the No. 2 seed, any favors, as he's set to face No. 6 Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals.

Federer faces a potentially dangerous third-round match against No. 30 Nick Kyrgios, while No. 14 Fabio Fognini, who has won two tournaments since Wimbledon, could be his foe in the round before the clash with Djokovic. 

The 20-time Grand Slam champion enters the potential clash with Djokovic at a disadvantage, as he's lost seven of his last nine matches against the Serbian, including the championship match of the final U.S. Open tune-up event in Cincinnati. 

Of course, this is Federer we're talking about and he's capable of making a push to the final, but with Djokovic in fine form after his Wimbledon title, it's hard to see the No. 2 seed getting past the 13-time major champion.

Stephens Leads Strong Showing by American Women

With five seeded players in the women's draw, the United States should be represented by at least two quarterfinalists. 

Stephens, who enters as the No. 3 seed, appears to be the best bet to qualify for the final eight and push for the crown given her favorable draw. 

Stephens would have to face one top-10 player on her path to the quarterfinals in the form of either No. 7 Elina Svitolina or No. 9 Julia Gorges, if one of the two makes it that far. 

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Unfortunately for No. 14 Madison Keys and No. 24 CoCo Vandeweghe, only one of them will make it out of the third round, as they've been drawn together. The path to the final isn't easy after that, as Kerber awaits in the fourth round. 

If Keys or Vandeweghe springs an upset over Kerber, they could use that as a momentum boost to surge into the final. 

Then of course there's Serena and Venus Williams, who were handed an unlucky draw that features a potential third-round sibling showdown.

If that wasn't difficult enough of a draw, a match against top-seeded Simona Halep would be next in the fourth round.

If Serena or Venus end up winning the title, and there's a good chance one of them will at least be in contention, it will go down as one of the most remarkable title runs in their careers given the tough draw and parity in the women's game.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ATPWorldTour.com and WTATennis.com.