At the 2026 US Open men’s singles final, German player Alexander Zverev faced American Ben Shelton. The match was only the second time in 20 years that a man representing the United States had made it to the end at Flushing Meadows. Unsurprisingly, a record-breaking number of tennis fans tuned in.
Most Popular Men’s Final in 17 Years
The showdown between Zverev and Shelton averaged a whopping 3.2 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched US Open men’s singles final since ESPN began to televise the tournament in 2009 (ESPN is majority owned by ABC’s parent company, The Walt Disney Company). The viewing numbers peaked at around 4.0 million viewers in the late afternoon, which makes sense given the tense four-set conclusion to the match.
The record was previously held by last year’s US Open final match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The 2025 showdown averaged 3.03 million viewers, and the Spanish player took home his second US Open title after a hard-fought four sets.
Record-Setting Semifinal Numbers
The All-American semifinal match between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe also brought in an immense 3.1 million viewers. That is nearly the average for the men’s singles final, and it set a record for ESPN’s largest men’s semifinal audience. The semifinal match peaked at 3.7 million viewers later in the night.
Much of the semifinal match’s popularity is likely due to its historic importance. The battle between Shelton and Tiafoe marked the first time in tennis history that a Grand Slam semifinal match occurred between two Black men. When Shelton won, he also became the first Black American man to reach the US Open men’s singles final since Arthur Ashe himself did in 1972.
Increased Women’s Final Numbers
The 2026 US Open women’s singles final also saw a substantial increase in viewership, averaging 2.7 million viewers on ABC. That number marks a 13% increase from last year’s women’s singles final. Part of the match’s popularity is likely due to Aryna Sabalenka’s potential three-peat and Elena Rybakina’s recent rise to No. 1 WTA ranking.
The record for most-viewed US Open women’s final still belongs to the epic 2023 match between Sabalenka and Coco Gauff. It was a very back-and-forth match, but Gauff ultimately took home her first Grand Slam singles title after three sets.
Fourth-Highest US Open Numbers
The entire 2026 US Open was the fourth-most-watched edition of the tournament since ESPN’s family of networks took over coverage. Across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, the full tournament averaged 1.2 million viewers. This is a noticeable 4% increase from last year’s ratings.
The most-watched US Open is still the 2019 tournament, which averaged 1.28 million viewers. Much of that popularity was due to Serena Williams’ initial farewell to competitive play. After that tournament, the 2015 tournament averaged 1.27 million viewers, while the 2022 tournament averaged 1.21 million viewers.
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