US Open Tennis 2020: Replay TV Coverage, Live Stream for Wednesday's Draw

Both Williams sisters took the court on Tuesday night in Flushing, New York, but only one will be moving on to the second round of the 2020 U.S. Open Championship.

Serena cruised to a straight-set victory (7-5, 6-3) over Kristie Ahn after an early exit at the Western & Southern Open last week. Her serve was a big weapon, as she had 13 aces and lost only six points on her first serve.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion also joked she felt it had been too long since her last win in straight sets, and she proud with how she competed, regardless of the quality of her play.

However, Serena will not be joined in the second round by her older sister. Venus—the oldest player in the draw at 40—fell in straight sets (3-6, 5-7) to No. 20 seed Karolina Muchova. 

Meanwhile, Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and fellow American Madison Keyes both advanced on Tuesday, as did No. 9 seed Johanna Konta.

On the men's side, former U.S. Open champion Andy Murray battled back from a two-set deficit to defeat Yoshihito Nishioka, including a saved match point. He said after the match he needed an ice bath for recovery, which is fitting considering the Scot will be taking on 20-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime next.

Whereas Murray struggled to make it to the second round, Dominic Thiem advanced with relative ease after opponent Jaume Munar was forced to retire in the second set. The No. 2 seed might be as good a bet as any to challenge Novak Djokovic for the men's singles title.

Wednesday will feature the start of the second round, with Djokovic taking the court against Kyle Edmund. Former U.S. Open champion Naomi Osaka and No. 1 seed Karolina Pliskova will be in action on the women's side.

Wednesday TV Schedule   

Second round, noon-6 p.m. ET, ESPN

Second round, 6 p.m. ET-11 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Replay coverage of second round, midnight-10 a.m. ET, Tennis Channel

Matches can be streamed live on ESPN+

Wednesday Preview   

Frank Franklin/Associated Press

Djokovic made quick work of his first-round opponent, Damir Dzumhur, on Monday night, though he cannot seem to escape some form of controversy. 

The Serb captured the Western & Southern Open title after defeating Canadian powerhouse Milos Raonic. Heading into the first Grand Slam of the year, he assumed some of the health and safety protocols would be the same, given the Western & Southern was played on the same courts as the U.S. Open.

Djokovic was visibly upset at the chair umpire when he began starting the serve clock earlier, apparently unaware its implementation would be different at the U.S. Open.

Nevertheless, the world No. 1 won handily in straight sets, improving to 24-0 on the season. He spoke about his winning streak after the match, per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press:

"Do I want to keep the streak going? Of course I do. Am I thinking about it as a priority No. 1 every single day? No," the 33-year-old said. "It's there, and of course it's an additional motivation for me. It actually fuels me to play even stronger, play even better, I think, bring the right intensity every match."

Djokovic is in pursuit of his 18th Grand Slam title, which would put him one back of Rafael Nadal (not playing due to health concerns) and two behind Roger Federer (injury). 

Some of his top competitors will also take the court on Wednesday, including Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev.

In the women's draw, Osaka will hope her hamstring has improved after she needed three sets to defeat Misaki Doi. 

Conversely, the top-seeded Pliskova had no trouble in her first-round match, winning in straight sets. The Czech star has yet to win a Grand Slam, and her resume includes a loss to Angelique Kerber in the 2016 U.S. Open final. 

But Pliskova has an excellent chance to capture her first major title with both Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep opting out of the tournament.