Sunday’s US Open Men’s Championship match between Ben Shelton and eventual champion Alexander Zverev attracted an average audience of 3.2M viewers on ABC, the largest viewership on record since ESPN began televising the tournament in 2009. Viewership peaked at 4.0M from 5:30-5:45 p.m. ET.
Saturday’s Women’s Championship, won by Elena Rybakina over Aryna Sabalenka, averaged 2.7M viewers, peaking at 3.2M from 6:30-6:45 p.m. The audience was up 13% year-over-year (YOY) and was ESPN’s largest since 3.4M watched Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in 2023. The Men’s and Women’s championships combined to average 3.0M viewers, up 9% YOY.
The All-American Friday night Men’s semifinal match between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe averaged 3.1M viewers, peaking at 3.7M between 10:45-11 p.m., the largest Men’s semifinal audience on record for ESPN. The earlier semifinal match with Zverev defeating Karen Khachanov averaged 1.2M, with the two semifinals combining to average 2.2M viewers, up 19% YOY.
Overall, the event ranks as ESPN’s most-viewed US Open since 2022. The two-week long tournament across ESPN networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2) averaged 1.2M viewers, a 4% increase YOY.
Quarterfinals deliver record-late finish
The US Open Quarterfinals averaged 1.3M viewers on ESPN. Tuesday’s primetime Quarterfinals window from 7:30 p.m. – 3:40 a.m., which featured the latest-finishing match in US Open history between Carlos Alcaraz and Shelton, averaged 1.6M viewers. Even as the night stretched toward dawn, 967K avg. viewers watched the final quarter hour from 3:30-3:40 a.m.
Key 2026 US Open viewership figures at a glance
- ESPN delivered its largest US Open opening day audience ever on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, 914K avg. viewers, up 13% YOY. Action on ABC averaged 1.25M avg. viewers, up 7% vs. 2025.
- The second round drew 834K avg. viewers on ESPN/ESPN2
- Third round across ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 1.1M, up +27% from last year and also standing as the most-viewed since 2022. ESPN2’s Saturday daytime telecast averaged 1.0M viewers, up +31% from the comparable telecast last year, while ESPN2’s prime window (1.1M viewers) was up +43%.
- Through the completion of the third round on Saturday, Sept. 5, ESPN had recorded its most-viewed since 2022 (avg. 846K)
- Third round viewership was boosted by Serena and Venus Williams competing in doubles during primetime, attracting an average audience of 1.2M (peak 2.2M from 10-10:15 p.m.) as they lost a three-set match to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint.
- Tournament average (through Women’s Semifinals): 1.0M viewers, up 2% YoY, ESPN’s most-viewed US Open since 2022
- Quarterfinals average: 1.3M viewers
- Tuesday primetime Quarterfinals window (7:30 p.m. – 3:40 a.m.): 1.6M viewers, featured latest-finishing match in US Open history
- Women’s Semifinals: 2.2M viewers, up 24% YoY, most-watched US Open Women’s Semis in ESPN history
- Women’s Semifinals peak (9:45-10 p.m. ET, Gauff vs. Rybakina): 2.6M viewers
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