US Open Tennis 2018: TV Schedule, Picks for Tuesday Afternoon Draw | Bleacher Report

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both get their U.S. Open campaigns under way on Tuesday at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The duo are viewed as serious contenders in the men’s draw, with Federer seeking his sixth win in this event and his 21st Grand Slam title overall. Djokovic, who won Wimbledon this summer and has rediscovered his form in the second half of the season, is the favourite with many to go all the way.

Elsewhere, Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber will take to the court, as will the Australian Open winner Caroline Wozniacki.

Here’s a look at what’s on the agenda for these high-profile players, a prediction for the main matches on Tuesday and a look at how some of these stars are set to fare.

Tuesday Schedule (Selected Matches)

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Sam Stosur vs. (2) Caroline Wozniacki*

(6) Novak Djokovic* vs. Marton Fucsovics

Yoshihito Nishioka vs. (2) Roger Federer*

(14) Madison Keys* vs. Pauline Parmentier

Louis Armstrong Stadium

Andrea Petkovic vs. (10) Jelena Ostapenko*

Margarita Gasparyan vs. (4) Angelique Kerber*

Peter Polansky vs. (4) Alexander Zverev*

(30) Nick Kyrgios* vs. Radu Albot

(22) Maria Sharapova* vs. Patty Schnyder

*Picks to win

TV Info: The action will be shown live on ESPN and the Tennis Channel in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the live matches can be streamed via Amazon Prime.

Tuesday Preview

Few conclusions can usually be drawn from these early showdowns, as players are feeling their way into the tournament.

However, there will be a buzz when Djokovic strides out at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, especially given the sixth seed has found some form again in 2018. He was excellent at Wimbledon, beating Rafael Nadal in an epic semi-final before toppling Kevin Anderson to claim the title.

It’s form he carried into the Cincinnati Masters, where he overcame Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic and then Federer on his way to victory.

Tennis TV picked out some highlights from the Serb at this tournament:

He’s a big favourite against Marton Fucsovics, while Federer is expected to be as dominant when he takes to the court afterwards against Yoshihito Nishioka.

The veteran Swiss suffered a shock loss at Wimbledon, losing to Anderson in the quarter-finals 13-11 in the fifth set having led by two sets. However, the signs in Cincinnati were positive for the great man, as he made it to the final before running into a rampant Djokovic.

Now 37, there won’t be many more chances for Federer to secure another title in New York. After winning five in succession between 2004 and 2008, he has gone a decade without overall success here.

As noted by The Tennis Podcast, his potential run to the final is tough, too:

Kerber will also be intriguing to watch, after she put a testing spell of form behind her in spectacular fashion over the summer by beating Serena Williams to win the Wimbledon final.

That triumph made her a three-time Grand Slam champion, and the German has pedigree at Flushing Meadows too, as she tasted success in the 2016 U.S. Open. The 30-year-old is developing a reputation for saving her best for the biggest occasions.

Per the WTA Insider Twitter account, Kerber seems to be in a much better place in 2018:

Wozniacki will be hoping to finish the final Grand Slam of the year in style. After clinching her maiden major at the Australian Open, she has suffered fourth- and second-round exits at the French Open and Wimbledon, respectively.

Maria Sharapova will also be out to end her Grand Slam drought. It’s been four years since her last success in one of the big four events, and her last U.S. Open triumph was 12 years ago.