US Open Tennis 2018: TV Schedule, Start Times for Tuesday Night Draw
Roger Federer kicks off his 2018 U.S. Open campaign on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in Tuesday's evening session at Flushing Meadows.
The second seed is a five-time champion in New York and will be the star of the show of Tuesday's action.
Elsewhere, 2006 women's champion Maria Sharapova will also get her campaign under way against Patty Schnyder in the Louis Armstrong Stadium, while Madison Keys and Nick Kyrgios are also in first-round action.
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Federer kicks off the evening's schedule at 7 p.m. ET/midnight BST.
Live coverage of the tournament is available in the United States on ESPN, ESPN3 and ESPN+. The action can be live-streamed on the ESPN Player.
In the UK the tournament is being shown exclusively on Amazon Prime. The complete order of play can be found on the U.S. Open's official website.
Federer Seeking First New York Title Since 2008
There was a time when Federer was unbeatable at Flushing Meadows. Between 2004 and 2008 he won five consecutive U.S. Open titles before his incredible run was finally stopped by Juan Martin del Potro in 2009's final.
He has since reached another final in 2015, when he lost to Novak Djokovic, as well as losing in three semis, two quarters and one fourth round.
Last year he was stopped at the quarter-final stage by Del Potro, the same round in which he was shocked at this year's Wimbledon by eventual beaten finalist Kevin Anderson.
Since the legendary Swiss lost in London he has played just one tournament, the Cincinnati Masters, where he lost in the final to Djokovic.
World No. 177 Nishioka should not provide Federer with any real problems on Tuesday as the 37-year-old begins his campaign for a sixth U.S. Open title.
The 22-year-old Japanese has battled against a knee injury in the last year and, even if he produces his best tennis, it is unlikely to be enough against arguably the sport's greatest ever player.
Sharapova Looking to Avoid Matching Halep in Defeat
Top women's seed Simona Halep crashed out of the U.S. Open in a shock first-round defeat to Kaia Kanepi on Monday.
No. 22 seed Maria Sharapova will be looking to avoid the same ignominy when she faces 39-year-old Schnyder.
The pair have never faced each other before, but Sharapova has the superior record in New York having won one title and reached two other semi-finals. On the other hand, Schnyder's best results were reaching the last eight in 1998 and 2008.
However, the Russian cannot afford to be complacent. She lost in the first round at Wimbledon back in July to qualifier and compatriot Vitalia Diatchenko.
Sharapova, 31, will be eager for history not to repeat itself and she will have to be wary of the hugely experienced Schnyder.
The five-time Grand Slam winner is no longer the force she once was but she knows she has the game to go deep at the U.S. Open, and a confident start on Tuesday would provide vital momentum.
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