Naomi Osaka beat Serena Williams in the final of the US Open, winning her first ever Grand Slam title and becoming the first Japanese woman ever to do so. Sloane Stephens is hoping to defend her title at the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year and the 138th edition of the tournament. Stephens is the third seed, but has a relatively full field of competitors ready to try and unseat her, including 17th seed Serena Williams. It’s an odd place for Williams, being seeded so low, but it was actually bumped up as sort of a maternity leave grace period, so she’s seeded higher than she’s ranked. Not to mention she’s got a spot that won’t be around next year, as all Grand Slams are switching from 32 to 16 seeds in 2019. Williams has played well at times since her return from the birth of her first child (and the health complications that came with it). She made it all the way to her tenth Wimbledon final, but lost in straight sets to Angelique Kerber, the fourth seed in New York. Her sister, Venus Williams, is seeded 16th, one spot above her sister. The two played in the third round, their 30th career matchup, this one captured by Serena Williams in straight sets. The three Grand Slams this season have been won by Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Kerber. Many think Serena will be able to take the final one to end the season on a high note, but there are so many top players right now, it’s difficult to predict. Halep also won the Rogers Cup at the beginning of August, in preparation for the US Open. She then played in the Cincinnati Masters, where she made it to the final, but lost to Kiki Bertens. In an unexpected upset she was then ousted from the U.S. Open in straight sets in her first-round match by Kaia Kanepi. Below is a bracket, viewing information, schedules and results for the tournament, updated multiple times per day throughout play in New York. You can find the men’s draw, results and more right here. Bracket Bracket courtesy of the official US Open website. Viewing information ESPN has the coverage of the US Open in the United States, as usual. Matches will air most days on ESPN and ESPN2, with live streaming of the television coverage and a select number of courts available on WatchESPN. Many outer courts will be behind the subscription service ESPN+ this time around, a departure given the service didn’t exist a year ago and all outer courts had been available via WatchESPN. Most days, play will begin around noon ET and will wrap up around 11 p.m. How to watch the US Open All Times Eastern 2018 US Open Schedule Date Round Start End Channel Date Round Start End Channel Mon, Aug. 27 First Noon 11 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Tue, Aug. 28 First Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Wed, Aug. 29 Second Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Thu, Aug. 30 Second Noon 11 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Fri, Aug. 31 Third Noon 11 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Sat, Sep. 1 Third Noon 11 p.m. ESPN2 Sun, Sep. 2 Round of 16 Noon 11 p.m. ESPN, ESPN2 Mon, Sep. 3 Round of 16 Noon 11 p.m. ESPN2 Tue, Sep. 4 Quarterfinals Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Wed, Sep. 5 Quarterfinals Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Thu, Sep. 6 Women's Semifinals Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Fri, Sep, 7 Men's Semifinals Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Sat, Sep. 8 Women's Final Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Sun, Sep. 9 Men's Final Noon 11 p.m. ESPN Schedule Day 1, Monday, Aug. 27 Kaia Kanepi def. No. 1 Simona Halep, 6-2, 6-4 No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. Evgeniya Rodina, 6-1, 7-5 No. 7 Elina Svitolina def. Sachia Vickery, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 No. 8 Karolina Pliskova def. Zarina Diyas, 6-4, 7-6(4) No. 9 Julia Goerges def. Anna Kalinskaya, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2 No. 12 Garbine Muguruza def. Shuai Zhang, 6-3, 6-0 No. 15 Elise Mertens def. Kurumi Nara, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 No. 16 Venus Williams def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 No. 17 Serena Williams def. Magda Linette, 6-4, 6-0 No. 18 Ashleigh Barty def. Ons Jabeur, 6-1, 6-3 No. 19 Anastasija Sevastova def. Donna Vekic, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 No. 23 Barbora Strycova def. Danielle Lao, 6-3, 6-4 No. 25 Daria Gavrilova def. Sara Sorribes Tormo, 6-0, 6-0 Rebecca Peterson def. No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 Qiang Wang def. No. 31 Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2, 6-2 No. 32 Maria Sakkari def. Asia Muhammad, 6-3, 6-3 Victoria Azarenka def. Viktoria Kuzmova, 6-3, 7-5 Vera Lapko def. Kateryna Bondarenko, 6-3, 6-3 Ekaterina Makarova def. Heather Watson, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 Anhelina Kalinina def. Kathinka Von Deichmann, 1-6, 7-6(0), 5-2 (ret.) Sofia Kenin def. Madison Brengle, 6-0, 4-6, 7-6(4) Ana Bogdan def. Marie Bouzkova, 6-4, 6-2 Lucie Safarova def. Petra Martic, 6-4, 6-4 Vania King def. Natalia Vikhlyantseva, 7-6(4), 6-3 Camila Giorgi def. Whitney Osuigwe, 6-4, 6-1 Claire Liu def. Polona Hercog, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4 Tatjana Maria def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-3, 6-3 Carina Witthoeft def. Caroline Dolehide, 6-3, 7-6(6) Jil Teichmann def. Dalila Jakupovic, 6-3, 6-0 Karolina Muchova def. Dayana Yastremska, 6-4, 6-2 Lara Arruabarrena def. Kateryna Kozlova, 6-0, 6-3 Day 2, Tuesday, Aug. 28 No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki def. Samantha Stosur, 6-3, 6-2 No. 3 Angelique Kerber def. Margarita Gasparyan, 7-6(5), 6-3 No. 5 Petra Kvitova def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-1, 6-4 No. 6 Caroline Garcia def. Johanna Konta, 6-2, 6-2 No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko def. Andrea Petkovic, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 No. 11 Daria Kasatkina def. Timea Babos, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 No. 13 Kiki Bertens def. Kristyna Pliskova, 6-0, 7-5 No. 14 Madison Keys def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-4, 6-4 No. 20 Naomi Osaka def. Laura Siegemund, 6-3, 6-2 No. 22 Maria Sharapova def. Patty Schnyder, 6-2, 7-6(6) Kirsten Flipkens def. No. 24 CoCo Vandeweghe, 6-3, 7-6(3) No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka def. Danielle Collins, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 Katerina Siniakova def. No. 28 Anett Kontaveit, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 No. 29 Dominika Cibulkova def. Arantxa Rus, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro def. Nicole Gibbs, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 Yafan Wang def. Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 Julia Glushko def. Monica Niculescu, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 Ajla Tomljanovic def. Lizeette Cabrera, 6-4, 6-1 Bernarda Pera def. Yulia Putintseva, 7-6(6), 6-4 Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. Belinda Bencic, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2 Monica Puig def. Stefanie Voegele, 6-0, 6-0 Aleksandra Krunic def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 Taylor Townsend def. Amanda Anisimova, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Sorana Cirstea def. Alison Riske, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 Francesca Di Lorenzo def. Christina McHale, 6-1, 7-6(1) Eugenie Bouchard def. Harmony Tan, 6-3, 6-1 Johanna Larsson def. Alize Cornet, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 Lesia Tsurenko def. Alison Van Uytvanck, 6-3, 6-2 Su-Wei Hsieh def. Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 Vera Zvonareva def. Anna Blinkova, 6-2, 6-7(6), 7-5 Kristina Mladenovic def. Tamara Zidansek, 6-0, 6-3 Day 3, Wednesday, Aug. 29 No. 3 Sloane Stephens def. Anhelina Kalinina, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 No. 7 Elina Svitolina def. Tatjana Maria, 6-2, 6-3 No. 8 Karolina Pliskova def. Ana Bogdan, 6-2, 6-3 Ekaterina Makarova def. No. 9 Julia Goerges, 7-6(10), 6-3 Karolina Muchova def. No. 12 Garbine Muguruza, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 No. 15 Elise Mertens def. Vera Lapko, 6-2, 6-0 No. 16 Venus Williams def. Camila Giorgi, 6-4, 7-5 No. 17 Serena William def. Carina Witthoeft, 6-2, 6-2 No. 18 Ashleigh Barty def. Lucie Safarova, 7-5, 6-3 No. 19 Anastasija Sevastova def. Claire Liu, 6-3, 6-1 No. 23 Barbora Strycova def. Lara Arruabarrena, 6-0, 6-1 Victoria Azarenka def. No. 25 Daria Gavrilova, 6-1, 6-2 Sofia Kenin def. No. 32 Maria Sakkari, 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Kaia Kanepi def. Jil Teichmann, 6-4, 6-3 Qiang Wang def. Irina-Camelia Begu, 6-3, 6-1 Rebecca Peterson def. Vania King, 6-3, 6-1 Day 4, Thursday, Aug. 30 Lesia Tsurenko def. No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-2 No. 4 Angelique Kerber def. Johanna Larsson, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 No. 5 Petra Kvitova def. Yafan Wang, 7-5, 6-3 No. 6 Caroline Garcia def. Monica Puig, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 No. 10 Jelena Ostapenko def. Taylor Townsend, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 Aliaksandra Sasnovich def. No. 11 Daria Kasatkina, 6-2, 7-6(3) No. 13 Kiki Bertens def. Francesca Di Lorenzo, 6-2, 6-1 No. 14 Madison Keys def.<doc-sep>John Minchillo/Associated Press The final tennis grand slam of the 2018 season opens with similar storylines to the other three major championships. On the men's side, we're still waiting for the new generation of stars to close the door on the old guard after Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic combined to win the last seven majors. There's been more parity on the women's side recently, as seven players have captured the last seven major titles, but Serena Williams appears ready to re-establish her dominance at the top of the game. The men's and women's draw set the stage for an intriguing first week, and the second week could be chock full of must-see matchups. US Open Schedule The U.S. Open schedule features morning and night sessions beginning at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, respectively, from the start of the tournament on August 27 until September 5. Video Play Button Videos you might like The women's semifinals are scheduled to take place during a night session September 6, while the men's last four are penciled in to start at 4 p.m. ET September 7. The women's singles final will take place September 8 at 4 p.m. ET, with the men's singles final coming the next day at the same time. Odds (via OddsShark) Men's Draw Novak Djokovic (+250; Bet $100 to win $250) Rafael Nadal (+350) Roger Federer (+400) Alexander Zverev (+800) Andy Murray (+1,200) Juan Martin del Potro (+1,200) Marin Cilic (+1,800) Nick Kyrgios (+2,000) Grigor Dimitrov (+2,000) Women's Draw Serena Williams (+500) Simona Halep (+700) Angelique Kerber (+700) Sloane Stephens (+1,000) Garbine Muguruza (+1,200) Caroline Wozniacki (+1,200) Elina Svitolina (+1,200) Karolina Pliskova (+1,400) Petra Kvitova (+1,400) Madison Keys (+1,400) Preview Men's Singles Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are once again at the forefront of the men's singles draw. Nadal faces an easier route to the final, with Juan Martin Del Potro and Grigor Dimitrov his top challengers to advance to the championship match. The left-hander faces a potentially difficult first-round clash with fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who has slipped down the rankings to 148 in the world of late after reaching a career high of third in late 2013. Although Ferrer's ranking isn't as high as it used to be, he still has the potential to test his countryman. Ben Curtis/Associated Press Djokovic and Federer are on a collision course for the quarterfinals after they were drawn in the seventh and eighth sections of the bracket. With two of the three favorites clustered together, Marin Cilic and Alexander Zverev have a chance to surge into the semifinals from the top half of the bottom bracket. John Isner and Jack Sock are the two seeded Americans in the field, while 20-year-old Frances Tiafoe could make some noise against No. 29 seed Adrian Mannarino in the first round. Andy Murray is also worth keeping an eye on in his return to Grand Slam competition after not featuring since Wimbledon 2017. He lurks in Del Potro's part of the bracket along with Fernando Verdasco and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Until one of the rising stars proves they are able to consistently challenge Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, the big three must be the championship picks. While it may feel like more of the same to some, a clash between Nadal and either Djokovic or Federer would be yet another must-watch spectacle on the sport's top stage. Women's Singles All eyes are on the top section of the women's singles bracket, where Simona Halep and the Williams sisters reside. Serena Williams is somehow the lowest-ranked member of the trio as the No. 17 seed, which makes little sense given her career success, even if she missed a year on maternity leave. Before the 23-time Grand Slam champion gets to the top-seeded Halep, she'll have to get through her sister Venus in the third round in the third round in what would be the most popular match during the first week of the tournament. Christophe Ena/Associated Press Defending champion Sloane Stephens is also in the top half of the bracket with two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza. That means only one one of Halep, the Williams sisters, Stephens, Muguruza, Karolina Pliskova or Elina Svitolina can make it to the final. Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber, Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova are among the favorites to advance in the bottom half of the draw. Although it would be wonderful to see as many high-profile names as possible left in the women's draw during the second week of the tournament, recent major results suggest that won't be the case. At Wimbledon, none of the top-10 seeds reached the quarterfinals, while three top-10 seeds advanced to the final eight at Roland Garros. While every major feels like Serena Williams' to lose, the women's draw boasts a deep roster of contenders who are all capable of making a run to the championship match. Williams is the obvious pick until we're proven wrong, but don't count out Halep, Kvitova or Wozniacki, while a first-time winner such as Svitolina or Pliskova could emerge as well. Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.<doc-sep>Next week, Andy Murray will enter his first slam as an unseeded player since 2006 – barring another last-minute withdrawal of the kind he staged at three of the last four majors. Happily, the US Open’s seeding computer showed mercy on Thursday night as it threw up world No. 445 James Duckworth – the only man on the entry list ranked lower than Murray’s 378 – as his opening opponent. Murray might have pulled out of Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament, leaving his slated opponent Benoit Paire to face a “lucky loser” from qualifying instead. But the signs suggest that he will dip a toe in the grand-slam water here, if only to see how his body responds to best-of-five-set tennis. Duckworth is a 26-year-old Australian whose career graph peaked three years ago at No. 82 in the world. Having suffered a horrible sequence of foot and arm injuries, he used a protected ranking to squeak in by right. This will be an interesting fixture for Murray. He has a 4-3 win-loss record since he began his comeback from chronic hip trouble at Queen’s in June. In four tournaments to date, he has yet to play an opponent ranked outside the top 100.<doc-sep>
Richard Drew/Associated Press The draw for the 2018 U.S. Open is set. The final major tennis tournament of the year announced its seedings and draw Thursday, with a pile of familiar faces at the top. Rafael Nadal will look to repeat as champion at Flushing Meadows as the top seed. He'll open the event against a familiar foe in David Ferrer, his countryman who has twice reached the semifinals in the event. "We were in the Davis Cup team a lot of times, here too. He's a good friend," Nadal told reporters of Ferrer. "He has been an amazing player for such a long, long time. This year he's going through tougher times but he's still a player with a very high level of tennis. I'm looking forward to playing that match so we'll see. "I don't go crazy about the draw," he added. "I really don't care. I understand it's luck. At the end of the day, you will face your opponent." Roger Federer's attempt at capturing his first U.S. Open in a decade begins on the opposite side of the bracket as the No. 2 seed. Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Zverev round out the top four seeds for the men. Federer lost out in the draw by landing in the same quarter as Novak Djokovic, who looks poised to make a run at returning to No. 1. Djokovic is back up to No. 6 in the world after winning his fourth Wimbledon and this month's Western & Southern Open. He said learning from Federer in terms of scheduling has helped keep him healthy. Video Play Button Videos you might like "Federer has always had a great way of dealing with the schedule," Djokovic told Business Insider's Scott Davis. "I think in terms of scheduling, I've learned a lot from him, in terms of how to pick certain tournaments and peak at the right time so you can perform your best when it's most needed, the most important events." Simona Halep will enter the U.S. Open as the top seed for the women. She'll be joined in the top four by No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 3 Sloane Stephens and No. 4 Angelique Kerber. Stephens is the reigning U.S. Open champion and would be the first woman to repeat at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams won three straight from 2012-14. "Last year I wasn't supposed to win the U.S. Open," Stephens said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I was not supposed to do anything. To be here defending is like the cherry on top. It's fun, exciting. I'll be nervous. My pits will be sweating, but it's so much fun. It was something incredible that happened in my life." Everyone will be looking at the No. 17 spot, with Williams looking to capture her first major since returning from the birth of her child. Williams reached the Wimbledon final and is ranked No. 26 in the world, with her 17th seed coming from the U.S. Open considering her pregnancy absence in seeding. Williams and Stephens would face off in the semifinals if both women made it that far. 2018 U.S. Open Women's Singles Seeds 1. Simona Halep, Romania 2. Caroline Wozniacki, Denmark 3. Sloane Stephens, United States 4. Angelique Kerber, Germany 5. Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic 6. Caroline Garcia, France 7. Elina Svitolina, Ukraine 8. Karolina Pliskova, Czech Republic 9. Julia Goerges, Germany 10. Jelena Ostapenko, Latvia 11. Daria Kasatkina, Russia 12. Garbine Muguruza, Spain 13. Kiki Bertens, Netherlands 14. Madison Keys, United States 15. Elise Mertens, Belgium 16. Venus Williams, United States 17. Serena Williams, United States 18. Ashleigh Barty, Australia 19. Anastasija Sevastova, Latvia 20. Naomi Osaka, Japan 21. Mihaela Buzarnescu, Romania 22. Maria Sharapova, Russia 23. Barbora Strycova, Czech Republic 24. CoCo Vandeweghe, United States 25. Daria Gavrilova, Australia 26. Aryna Sabalenka, Belarus 27. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Russia 28. Anett Kontaveit, Estonia 29. Dominika Cibulkova, Slovakia 30. Carla Suarez Navarro, Spain 31. Magdalena Rybarikova, Slovakia 32. Maria Sakkari, Greece 2018 U.S. Open Men's Singles Seeds 1. Rafael Nadal, Spain 2. Roger Federer, Switzerland 3. Juan Martin del Potro, Argentina 4. Alexander Zverev, Germany 5. Kevin Anderson, South Africa 6. Novak Djokovic, Serbia 7. Marin Cilic, Croatia 8. Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria 9. Dominic Thiem, Austria 10. David Goffin, Belgium 11. John Isner, United States 12. Pablo Carreno Busta, Spain 13. Diego Schwartzman, Argentina 14. Fabio Fognini, Italy 15. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Greece 16. Kyle Edmund, Great Britain 17. Lucas Pouille, France 18.