Coco Gauff Powers ESPN to Record Viewership for Women’s Final

Coco Gauff’s three-set victory over new world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s U.S. Open final averaged 3.4 million viewers — a new viewership record for a women’s major tennis final on ESPN that totaled more than a million more viewers than the men’s final on Sunday. 

Atlanta-born Gauff was the first American — man or woman — to win the U.S. Open title since 2017. Viewership was up 92% over last year’s women’s final between Iga Świątek and Ons Jabeur, according to ESPN. 

Gauff secured $3 million for her first Grand Slam title. The women’s final was also the most-streamed match of the tournament. 

Overall, the final weekend of the U.S. Open was the second most-watched on ESPN ever. 

Novak Djokovic’s straight-set victory over Daniil Medvedev averaged 2.3 million viewers, about an 8% bump over 2022, according to ESPN.

The women’s and men’s final averaged 2.8 million viewers, a 40% increase from last year and the second-highest total behind 2019. The tournament averaged 1 million viewers, down from 2022 when Serena Williams’ farewell tour drew immense interest. 

Beyond the TV and streaming metrics, the U.S. Open had record attendance with a total draw of 799,402 — a 3% increase from 2022 — during the two-week tournament in Flushing, New York. All 25 sessions at the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium sold out.