US Open Tennis Championships 2015 (Photo : REUTERS)
This year's final Grand Slam tourney will open in style as Day 1 of the US Open championship in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York will already feature big names such as reigning champion Serena Williams and two-time winner Rafael Nadal kicking off their campaigns on the hard court.
Night Match: Serena Williams vs. Vitalia Diatchenko 7:00 P.M US EST
Williams is set to begin her campaign to become the second woman to complete a calendar slam at 7:00 p.m (Easten Time), when she takes on Russian Vitalia Diatchenko.
The 33-year old Williams boasts a near spotless record in the first round of a Grand Slam tournament with her only first round loss coming at the hands of Virginie Razzano of France at the 2012 French Open. However, the Queen of Tennis should always be cautious of what the 25-year old Russian had in store for him in their first ever head-to-head encounter.
"I don't want to stop her from winning four Grand Slams; I just want my match," Diatchenko told the New York Times on the eve of her match against Williams. "I just want to play good and win the match, that's all."
Rafael Nadal vs. Borna Coric 9:00 p.m US EST
Rafael Nadal is facing the prospect of not winning a single Grand Slam in a calendar year for the first time since 2004. Worse, he'll be playing 19-year old Croatian sensation Borna Coric, who defeated the Spaniard in straight sets in Basel, Switzerland last year and then stunned Andy Murray in Dubai this year.
Nadal admitted he's facing a tough up-comer in Coric, though he's still adamant on the possibility of losing to the Croatian for a second time.
"He's one of the players that is the future of our sport, so it's a tough one," Nadal told Danielle Elliot of Yahoo Sports Saturday. "But I'm playing well."
Live Stream, Schedule & Full Results: ESPN Tennis and US Open 2015 provide the full information on the schedule and results of every match on Day 1. Statistics, scores and updates are available on ESPN Courtcast and ATP/WTA Pro Tennis scores. Tune in on ESPN and ESPN2 for the live coverage of the US Open 2015, while ESPN Watch (US Audience)and Sports Stream (international) offers live streaming services.
