U.S. Open Title Games, Serena Set ESPN, Attendance Tournament Marks
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 at 02:31PM By Barry Janoff
Photo: USTAUPDATED September 29, 2026: The U.S. Tennis Assn. said a record 1.2 million people attended the 2026 U.S. Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, NY. The 2025 U.S. Open drew a then-record total attendance of 1,144,562 across the full three-week event, representing a 9% increase over 2024.
The U.S. Open’s social media channels also set a record with 3.9 billion interactions throughout the Tournament, an increase of 26% on 2025,; and the US Open’s digital platforms recorded more than 12 million unique fan visits.
“Shattering records at the US Open isn’t just about the numbers; it’s about expanding the reach of the game we all love to build the next generation of players and fans,” USTA CEO Craig Tiley said via the organization.
“We’re determined to make the U.S. Open the favorite destination for every professional player, continue to deliver exceptional return on investment for our partners, and give every fan an experience they’ll talk about for years. If a fan leaves Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, or logs off their screen feeling inspired to grab a racquet and play, that is the ultimate victory.”
September 16, 2026: The 2026 U.S. Open tennis Grand Slam saw Alexander Zverev defeat Ben Shelton for the men’s singles title and Elena Rybakina beat Aryna Sabalenka for the women’s singles title and a rise to the No. 1-ranked women’s player un the world.
The U.S. Tennis Assn. said the 2026 U.S. Open set a new single-day attendance record with 74,641 fans onsite at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 30 (total attendance figure TK).
In addition to earning a record $5.5 million each for men’s and women’s champions, the event set numerous records for broadcast partners ESPN and ABC.
ESPN’s full U.S. Open coverage averaged 1.2M million, the largest since 2022.
ESPN aid the U.S. Open Men’s Championship match between Shelton and eventual champion Zverev on Sept. 13 attracted an average audience of 3.2 million viewers on ABC.
That is the largest viewership on record since ESPN began televising the tournament in 2009. Viewership peaked at 4 million.
The Women’s Championship on Sept. 12 won by Rybakina averaged 2.7 million viewers, peaking at 3.2 million.
The audience was up 13% year-over-year and was ESPN’s largest since 3.4 million watched Sabalenka and Coco Gauff in 2023.
The Men’s and Women’s championships combined to average 3 million viewers, up 9% YOY.
Third-round viewership was boosted by Serena Williams and Venus Williams competing in doubles during primetime, attracting an average audience of 1.2 million — peaking at 2.2 million — as they lost a three-set match to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint.
The third round across ESPN and ESPN2 averaged 1.1 million. up +27% from last year and also standing as the most-viewed since 2022.
ESPN2’s Saturday daytime telecast averaged 1 million viewers, up +31% from the comparable telecast last year, while ESPN2’s prime window (1.1M viewers) was up +43%.
ESPN said it delivered its largest U.S. Open Opening Day audience ever on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC: an average of 914,000 viewers, up 13% YOY.
Action on ABC averaged 1.25 million viewers, up 7% vs. 2025.
The U.S. Tennis Assn. said the 2026 U.S. Open set a new single-day attendance record with 74,641 fans on-site at Flushing Meadows on Aug. 30 (total attendance figure TK).
This record-breaking figure surpassed the previous single-day high of 73,007 set during the Opening Day of the 2025 tournament.
The 2025 U.S. Open drew a record total attendance of 1,144,562 fans across the full three-week event, representing a 9% increase over 2024. throughout the competition and and fan weeks.
The USTA said U.S. Open Fan Week Aug. 23-29 “drove historic reach for the game of tennis this year, welcoming and engaging unprecedented numbers of fans onsite at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, online through U.S. Open digital and social platforms, and through captivating broadcast coverage from ESPN.”
Over the seven days, free Fan Access Pass registration reached a new high, up 66% over 2025. More than 54,000 people attended Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day Aug. 23..
“The response to this year’s Fan Week has been nothing short of extraordinary,” Craig Tiley, USTA CEO, said via the organization. “We saw an incredible number of fans take advantage of our free site access and programming, and the reaction to the world-class content and entertainment we delivered has been incredibly gratifying.
“When you pair that on-site energy with our record-breaking broadcast and digital reach, it’s clear we are connecting with more fans than ever before, both here in the U.S. and across the globe.”
Mixed Doubles coverage on Aug. 25 hit new highs in the second year of the reimagined event. ESPN2 averaged 363,000 viewers, up 138% over 2025.
Viewership peaked with 502,000 viewers during Carlos Alcaraz/Serena Williams vs. Belinda Bencic/Flavio Cobolli.
Mixed Doubles coverage across ESPN and ESPN2 on Aug. 26 delivered 492,000 viewers, up 43% over 2025. The Semifinals on ESPN2 averaged 444,000 viewers. The Mixed Doubles Championship on ESPN averaged 552,000 viewers.
New this year, “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" event (Aug. 25), aired on ESPN2 and averaged 528,000 viewers.
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