US Open Tennis 2016 Schedule: TV Coverage, Live Stream for Men's Semi-Finals
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World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has not had the best of summers by his high standards, but he is now just two wins away from a third U.S. Open title and 13th career Grand Slam.
He faces 10th seed Gael Monfils in the first semi-final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday and is a heavy favourite to advance to a seventh final at Flushing Meadows.
The other semi-final sees Stan Wawrinka take on sixth seed Kei Nishikori, with the Japanese having shocked in-form world No. 2 Andy Murray in the quarters.
The action in New York gets underway at 3 p.m. ET (8 p.m. BST), with ESPN broadcasting both matches in the U.S. (available on live stream via ESPN Player) and Eurosport 1 (Eurosport Player) in the UK.
Before American Sam Querrey surprisingly knocked him out of Wimbledon 2016 at the third-round stage, Djokovic had reached six consecutive Grand Slam finals, winning five of them.
The Serbian followed his shock early exit in London with a first-round defeat to Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio 2016 Olympics to spark notions of a surprising slump.
However, at the U.S. Open, the 29-year-old has looked close to his best again and even said himself that he is nearing top form, per the Press Association's Tom Allnutt:
That is ominous for the other three men remaining in the final Grand Slam of the year, most significantly Frenchman Monfils.
The Paris-born star is blessed with huge talent but has rarely gone deep in major tournaments—his semi-final berth at the 2016 U.S. Open is only his second appearance in the last four of a Grand Slam.
In 13 meetings with Djokovic, Monfils has prevailed only once, in their first meeting back in 2004.
What will be the 2016 U.S. Open final?
What will be the 2016 U.S. Open final?
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Djokovic vs. Wawrinka
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Djokovic vs. Nishikori
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Monfils vs. Wawrinka
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Monfils vs. Nishikori
In all likelihood, if Djokovic plays anywhere near his best, 30-year-old Monfils' tournament will end on Friday.
Aside from potentially Murray, there is no player in the world who can compete with an in-form Djokovic on a hard court.
That includes Nishikori and Wawrinka, but both will be desperate to reach the final and attempt to topple the sport's best player.
Wawrinka, Switzerland's third seed, is a two-time Grand Slam champion and beat Djokovic in 2015's French Open final.
He has not had the best 2016 in Grand Slam terms—most recently losing in the second round of Wimbledon—but has looked in fine form in New York.
Japan's Nishikori, a U.S. Open finalist in 2014, was mighty impressive in seeing off Murray in the last eight and will be buoyed from such a huge win, per Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim:
Friday's second semi-final is much more difficult to call than Djokovic's clash with Monfils and should be a tense and entertaining clash, potentially going the distance.
Whoever gets through to the final is surely going to have to overcome the world No. 1 to win the title, a potentially insurmountable challenge if the Serbian can again find his best form.
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