ESPN Scores Most-Viewed Ever US Open Women’s Semifinals

By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Photo credit: Jon Buckle/ROLEX

Final four stars were ratings champions for ESPN.

The US Open semifinals saw top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka stop third-seeded Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 rolling into her fourth straight US Open final.

Then second-seeded Elena Rybakina dashed American dreams of a home champion fighting past fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 en route to her maiden US Open championship.

The semifinals spiked ESPN’s audience to a record high.

ESPN’s US Open coverage on Thursday, September 10th drew an average of 2.2 million viewers, its largest-ever audience for a US Open women’s semifinal.

The 2.2 million average, up 24% from 2025, saw peak viewership of 2.6 million from 9:45-10 p.m. a former US Open champion Gauff battled Australian Open champion Rybakina into a third set.

Overall, ESPN reports its “most-watched US Open since 2022, when Serena Williams played her final match before this year’s return.”

Quarterfinal coverage on ESPN averaged 1.3 million average viewers.

Tuesday’s primetime coverage featuring a long-night’s journey into early morning as Ben Shelton out-dueled Carlos Alcaraz in a classic that ended at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday, the latest-ever finish in US Open history.

That titanic showdown averaged 1.3 million viewers, peaking wtith 1.8 million viewers from 11 p.m. to 11: 15 p.m.