2012 U.S. Open (Tennis) Preview and Television Schedule

School is back in session, college football starts in a few days, and we’ll turn our calendars to September this weekend.

But before summer gives way to the fall sports season, there is still one great summer sporting event on the calendar: the U.S. Open.

Here is a look at what is in store for the next two weeks at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.

Men’s Singles

After losing to unseeded Czech Lukáš Rosol in the second round at Wimbledon, one of the great upsets in modern tennis history, French Open champ and current world number 3 Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Olympics, the Rogers Cup, and the Cincinnati Masters, citing tendinitis in the knee.

Two weeks ago he announced that he would not be healthy enough to compete in the U.S. Open. Nadal’s absence opens things up for rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

Federer, who recently reclaimed the world’s top ranking, extended his career Grand Slam record to 17 with a championship earlier this summer at Wimbledon.

Second-ranked Djokovic, meanwhile, has struggled, at least with regards to the lofty standard he set for himself last season and early this year. After winning the Australian Open—his fourth major in five tries—Djokovic missed a chance at a career Slam, losing to Nadal in the French Open final. He then lost in the semis at Wimbledon and failed to medal at the Olympics.

Speaking of the Olympics, gold medalist Andy Murray enters the tournament ranked third after defeating Djokovic twice in London—first in the semis and Wimbledon and then in the Olympic semis—and beating Federer in the gold medal match.

Murray is playing the best tennis of his life and has now beaten his two top competitors in major tournaments. While his recent victories over Federer and Djokovic were on grass, Murray has been a formidable hard court player throughout his career.

Watch out for seventh-seeded Juan Martín del Potro, who also put on a show at the London Olympics. The Argentinian nearly upset Federer in the semis, losing 6-3 6-7 17-19 in the longest match in Olympic history. del Potro recovered quickly to steal the bronze medal from Djokovic.

Ninth seed John Isner is the top-seeded American man. The draw is favorable to Isner, who won’t have to face Federer, Djokovic, or Murray until the semifinals. Isner’s best performance in a Grand Slam came last year in Queens, when he advanced to the quarterfinals.

Great American comeback story Brian Baker may stand in Isner’s way.

Baker, who spent nearly six years away from professional tennis after five surgeries (three on his hip, one on his elbow, and one for a sports hernia), got everyone’s attention when he not only qualified for but also won a match at the French Open. A few weeks later at Wimbledon, Baker advanced all the way to the fourth round.

Baker, who last year was an assistant tennis coach at Belmont University in Nashville, could face eighth-seeded Serbian Janko Tipsarevic in the second round.

Click here for the complete men’s singles draw.

Men’s Top Seeds

1. Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
3. Andy Murray (Great Britain)
4. David Ferrer (Spain)
5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France)
6. Tomáš Berdych (Czech Republic)
7. Juan Martín del Potro (Argentina)
8. Janko Tipsarević (Serbia)
9. John Isner (United States)

Click here for a complete list of seeded players.

Women’s Singles

As recently as two weeks ago, Serena Williams appeared unbeatable.

At the ripe old age of 30, Serena won her 14th career singles Grand Slam this summer at Wimbledon. She followed that up with a run through the Olympics singles tournament that was among history’s most impressive. In the semis, she beat world number 1 Victoria Azarenka without even facing a break point. In the gold medal match, Serena beat third-ranked Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1.

A couple weeks back, Serena saw a 19-match win streak end at the hands of Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals of the Western and Southern Open in Ohio. Still, the younger Williams, who first won the U.S. Open in 1999, enters the tournament as the favorite.

Azarenka and Sharapova have both played well this year, but it’s hard to imagine either one taking down Serena if Serena is playing well.

Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwańska has never won a Slam nor advanced past the fourth round at the U.S. Open, but she pushed Serena to a third set in the Wimbledon final.

Kerber, seeded sixth, may be a better bet to win her first Slam. She made it to the semifinals last year and is playing the best tennis of her career right now. Australian Samantha Stosur, the defending champion, is seeded seventh.

Pay attention to American up-and-comer Christina McHale. The 20-year-old is ranked 24th, the highest ranking of her career, and advanced to the third round of each of this year’s first three Slams.

Click here for the complete women’s singles draw.

Women’s Top Seeds

1. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)
2. Agnieszka Radwańska (Poland)
3. Maria Sharapova (Russia)
4. Serena Williams (United States)
5. Petra Kvitová (Czech Republic)
6. Angelique Kerber (Germany)
7. Samantha Stosur (Australia)
8. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark)

Click here for a complete list of seeded players.

Other Draws

The Bryan twins, Bob and Mike, will try to follow up their Olympic gold medal by winning a fourth U.S. Open men’s doubles title. The brothers have won 11 major doubles championships in their career, not counting the mixed doubles titles each has won on his own.

Bob and Mike are seeded second, behind Canadian Daniel Nestor and Belarussian Max Mirnyi. Nestor and Mirnyi beat the Bryans in straight sets in the French Open final.

Venus and Serena Williams will look to win their 14th Grand Slam women’s doubles championship. Despite winning the doubles trophy at Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal this year, the Williams sisters—who don’t play much doubles on the tour—enter the tournament unseeded.

Defending champions Americans Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond are seeded first; French Open champs Italians Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci are seeded second.

Esther Vergeer of the Netherlands brings an unheard of 457-match win streak into the women’s wheelchair classification. She will be playing for her 22nd Grand Slam singles title and seventh U.S. Open. Vergeer will also attempt to win her 22nd Slam and seventh U.S. Open in women’s wheelchair doubles.

The USTA will reveal the mixed doubles draw later this week and the juniors (boys and girls) draw early next week. Keep an eye on Chicago’s Taylor Townsend in the girls junior singles and doubles tournaments. Townsend won the girls’ singles title at the Aussie Open and was part of winning junior doubles team in Melbourne and at Wimbledon.

U.S. Open TV Schedule

All times Central Daylight Time.

Monday August 27
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s first round

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s and women’s first round

Tuesday August 28
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s first round

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s and women’s first round

Wednesday August 29
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s first round, women’s second round

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s first round, women’s second round

Thursday August 30
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s second round

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s and women’s second round

Friday August 31
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s second round, women’s third round

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s second round, women’s third round

Saturday September 1
CBS Sports Network
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s third round

CBS
11:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s third round

Tennis Channel
6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s third round

Sunday September 2
CBS Sports Network
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s third round, women’s round of 16

CBS
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s third round, women’s round of 16

Tennis Channel
6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Men’s third round, women’s round of 16

Monday September 3 (Labor Day)
CBS Sports Network
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s round of 16

CBS
10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s round of 16

ESPN2
6:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.: Men’s and women’s round of 16

Tuesday September 4
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s round of 16, doubles

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s round of 16, women’s quarterfinals

Tuesday September 4
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s round of 16, doubles

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s round of 16, women’s quarterfinals

Wednesday September 5
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Doubles and juniors

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s and women’s quarterfinals

Thursday September 6
Tennis Channel
10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: Doubles and juniors

ESPN2
12:00 p.m.–10:00 a.m.: Men’s quarterfinals, mixed doubles final, special doubles exhibition

Friday September 7
CBS
11:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Women’s semifinals, men’s doubles final

Saturday September 8
CBS
11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Men’s semifinals
7:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.: Women’s final

Sunday September 9
ESPN2
11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.: Women’s doubles final

CBS
3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.: Men’s final

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