By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Photograph credit score: Jon Buckle/ROLEX
Closing 4 stars had been rankings champions for ESPN.
The US Open semifinals noticed top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka cease third-seeded Jessica Pegula 7-5, 6-2 rolling into her fourth straight US Open last.
Then second-seeded Elena Rybakina dashed American desires of a house champion combating previous fourth-seeded Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 en path to her maiden US Open championship.
The semifinals spiked ESPN’s viewers to a report excessive.
ESPN’s US Open protection on Thursday, September tenth drew a median of two.2 million viewers, its largest-ever viewers for a US Open ladies’s semifinal.
The two.2 million common, up 24% from 2025, noticed peak viewership of two.6 million from 9:45-10 p.m. a former US Open champion Gauff battled Australian Open champion Rybakina into a 3rd set.
Total, ESPN studies its “most-watched US Open since 2022, when Serena Williams performed her last match earlier than this yr’s return.”
Quarterfinal protection on ESPN averaged 1.3 million common viewers.
Tuesday’s primetime protection that includes a long-night’s journey into early morning as Ben Shelton out-dueled Carlos Alcaraz in a basic that ended at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday, the latest-ever end in US Open historical past.
That titanic showdown averaged 1.3 million viewers, peaking wtith 1.8 million viewers from 11 p.m. to 11: 15 p.m.
