US Open Tennis 2018: TV Schedule and Women's Semi-Final Predictions
Anastasija Sevastova stands between Serena Williams and yet another U.S Open final on Thursday, as the semi-finals for the 2018 edition of the tournament begin.
Williams has won at Flushing Meadows six times already in her career and has been in excellent form so far at the competition. Sevastova is an underdog, although not someone to take lightly, as she knocked out defending champion Sloane Stephens in the quarter-finals.
In addition to that tussle, Naomi Osaka will be seeking to continue her surprise run into the latter stages of this Grand Slam event up against last year's finalist Madison Keys.
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Here is the schedule for the women's semi-final matches, a prediction for each and a preview of what to expect from this pair of absorbing encounters.
Thursday Schedule—Women's Semi-Finals
Arthur Ashe Stadium
(17) Serena Williams* vs. (19) Anastasija Sevastova
(20) Naomi Osaka* vs. (14) Madison Keys
*Picks to win
In the United States, ESPN (live stream at ESPN Player) and the Tennis Channel will provide coverage. For viewers in the UK, the matches will be streamed live on Amazon Prime.
Serena On Brink of More History at U.S. Open
Aside from one wobble in the fourth round against Kaia Kanepi, so far at the 2018 U.S. Open it's been plain sailing for Williams.
Her previous win over eighth seed and former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova was arguably her best performance of the tournament. In a 6-4, 6-3 win for the American there was never any real danger of her relinquishing her grip on the contest.
Tom Perrotta of the Wall Street Journal commented on how the American seems able to accelerate through the gears when the situation demands:
Given the players remaining in the draw, this feels like the best chance Williams has had of winning a Grand Slam since returning to the sport after pregnancy.
Sevastova is not a player to take lightly, though, as was evident in the previous round when she cruised to a straight-sets win over Stephens. The Latvian has never made it this far in a Grand Slam before and will be desperate to rise to the occasion of playing against an iconic player like Williams.
Sevastova is always fascinating to watch too. As noted by tennis journalist Tumaini Carayol, she's not someone who hides her emotions when out on court either:
The other semi-final also sees a competitor enjoying her best run at a Grand Slam in the shape of Osaka.
The Japanese player has shown talent from an early age but few would've anticipated the 20-year-old to make it quite so far here. Osaka didn't appear daunted by the stage in the quarters either, dropping just two games on her way to victory over Lesia Tsurenko.
American tennis icon Billie Jean King commented on her show of delight following the biggest win of her career on Wednesday:
Keys has also slipped into an impressive groove in recent days, breezing past Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round and then turning in a similarly dominant display in Wednesday's showdown with the dangerous Carla Suarez Navarro.
The American appears to be developing a familiarity with the big stage at Flushing Meadows, and with last year's conquerer eliminated she will view the final Grand Slam event of 2018 as a massive opportunity to win a major for the first time.
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