Source: Tim Clayton – Corbis / Getty / Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff’s impressive win over new World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka was not only historic but now the most-viewed ever on ESPN.
The Disney-owned sports network says the US Open Women’s Finals match between Gauff and Sabalenka was the most-viewed major tennis final on ESPN and is the second most-viewed telecast for the US Open overall putting the match only behind Serena Williams final match in 2022.
The match was also the most-streamed telecast of the 2023 tournament on ESPN+.
Here is a breakdown of the numbers per ESPN:
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, and 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.
The network also notes that this year’s US Open tournament averaged 1 million viewers across multiple channels: ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, up 25% from 2021.
Still, it was also down 17% year over year due mainly to everyone tuning in to see Serena Williams’ final match.
Photo: Tim Clayton – Corbis / Getty
