The most viewed match of the U.S. Open: Coco Gauff’s U.S. Open victory over Sabalenka

Coco Gauff’s thrilling victory at the U.S. Open marked a significant milestone for women’s sports in terms of viewership. Her Saturday afternoon triumph surpassed the viewership of the men’s Sunday final, setting an ESPN record for the most-watched women’s Grand Slam final.

First American teenager to claim the U.S. Open title

According to data, nearly 3.4 million viewers tuned in to witness Gauff’s historic win, making her the first American teenager to claim the U.S. Open title in over two decades. In contrast, 2.3 million viewers watched Novak Djokovic secure his fourth U.S. Open victory and 24th major title on Sunday, breaking the modern Grand Slam record.

Second-most-viewed U.S. Open telecast,

Gauff’s championship match also became the highest-rated women’s final in any tennis major ever broadcast on ESPN, with viewership increasing by an impressive 92% compared to the previous year’s women’s final.

Additionally, Gauff’s victory became the second-most-viewed U.S. Open telecast, with the first spot belonging to Serena Williams’ final match in 2022. This achievement contributed to the overall tournament viewership for the weekend, which reached 2.8 million viewers, making it the second-most-viewed U.S. Open in ESPN’s history since they acquired exclusive broadcasting rights in 2015.

The women’s championship ranked as the third-most-watched program across all of cable for the week, trailing only two college football games. The Texas vs. Alabama matchup claimed the top spot with 7.9 million viewers, while the Clemson vs. Duke game secured second place with an audience of 4.3 million.

On the other hand, the men’s championship ranked as the ninth-most-watched cable program, while the semifinal match between Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz, the top-ranked men’s tennis player at the time, ranked as the tenth-most-watched, drawing in 2.26 million viewers.

Thank you for the love, Gauff.