By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Tuesday, September 12, 2024
Coco Gauff's inspired comeback win in the US Open final rocked Arthur Ashe Stadium and enthralled American television viewers.
The 19-year-old Gauff's three-set win over Aryna Sabalenka in the final made history as the most viewed women's Grand Slam final ever on ESPN.
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After dropping the first set, Gauff rallied to defeat new world No. 1 Sabalenka and join Serena Williams and Tracy Austin as the third American teenager in the Open Era to capture the US Open championship.
Gauff's dramatic run to the final that saw her score three-set wins over German qualifier Laura Siegemund and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki as well as a crushing conquest of 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko was a massive ratings winner for ESPN.
Gauff’s victory ranks as the second most-viewed telecast for the US Open overall, behind only her tennis hero, Serena Williams’, final match in 2022, and the most-streamed telecast of the 2023 tournament on ESPN+.
The 2023 US Open Men’s and Women’s Championship on ESPN this past weekend averaged 2.8 million viewers, up +40% compared to 2022, making it the second most-viewed US Open of all time on ESPN, behind only 2019’s Championships.
ESPN issued these stats from its US Open coverage:
Women’s Championship: Coco Gauff vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Gauff’s win delivered 3.4 million viewers on ESPN, up +92% vs last year’s Women’s Championship making it the most-viewed Major Women’s Championship ever.
The women’s championship was the most-streamed telecast of the tournament on ESPN+. Gauff beat Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to win her first major title.
Men’s Championship: Daniil Medvedev vs. Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s victory over Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic’s record-setting 24th Grand Slam title, averaged 2.3 million viewers, up +8% year-over-year, becoming the most-viewed US Open men’s final since Rafael Nadal faced Medvedev in the 2019 final (2.8 million viewers). Djokovic won in three sets 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.
Semifinals
The women’s and men’s semifinals combined were the most-viewed of all time on ESPN, averaging 1.9 million viewers, up 1 % from the previous record in 2022.
Women’s Semifinals
Thursday’s women’s semifinal matches between Gauff and Karolina Muchova and American Madison Keys vs. Aryna Sabalenka delivered 1.8 million viewers on ESPN. That represents an increase of 56% over last year.
Gauff defeated Muchova 6-4, 7-5 and Sabalenka beat Madison Keys in three sets 0-6, 7-6, 7-6.
For the entire tournament, 2023 US Open coverage across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 1 million viewers overall, up 25% from 2021, and down 17% year over year due in part to the impact of the significant interest around Serena Williams’ final US Open appearance in 2022.
Photo credit: Pete Staples/USTA/US Open Facebook