US Open men's final draws 3.2 million viewers, largest since 2009
Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in the US Open men's final on September 15, averaging 3.2 million viewers on ABC. The viewership marks the largest audience for that match since ESPN networks began televising the tournament in 2009, and represents a 9 percent increase from last year's final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in the US Open men's final on September 15, drawing 3.2 million viewers on ABC, according to ESPN's reporting. The audience marks the largest viewership for that match since ESPN's family of networks began televising the tournament in 2009. The viewership represents a 9 percent increase from the 2025 final between Sinner and Alcaraz, which drew 3 million viewers. The 2024 final between Taylor Fritz and Sinner drew 1.8 million viewers. Shelton's run to the final was propelled by his upset of Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, a match that lasted nearly five hours and ended at 3:33 a.m. ET, the latest finish in US Open history. The Alcaraz match averaged 1.6 million viewers, and 967,000 viewers remained watching from 3:30 a.m. to 3:40 a.m. ET as the match concluded. The quarterfinal was originally scheduled to begin around 9 p.m. ET but was delayed because three other quarterfinal matches at Arthur Ashe went the distance. The broader tournament drew strong viewership throughout its run. The women's final, won by Elena Rybakina over Aryna Sabalenka in three sets, averaged 2.7 million viewers and was up 13 percent from the prior year. ESPN's full US Open coverage averaged 1.2 million viewers, the largest audience since 2022. Shelton's loss denied him a chance to become the first American to win a Grand Slam in 23 years. His appearance marked the first US Open men's final featuring an American finalist since 2024, when Taylor Fritz lost to Sinner in straight sets. The US Open men's final took place the same Sunday as the NFL's Week 1 slate. In the women's draw, Rybakina's victory ended Sabalenka's streak of US Open titles at two, preventing her from becoming only the third player after Chris Evert and Serena Williams to win three straight US Open titles.
The Zverev-Shelton final averaged 3.2 million viewers on ABC, the largest viewership for the US Open men's final since ESPN's coverage began in 2009.
Shelton's American narrative and the late-night drama of his quarterfinal run appear to have driven the record audience, though the extreme overnight hours of that match drew below the average of last year's full quarterfinal coverage. The question is whether this viewership reflects sustained domestic interest in American tennis or a one-off spike tied to the novelty of a US Open finalist contending for a 23-year domestic title drought.
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Single-source report. As published, only ESPN had reported this development. No independent outlet had corroborated it.
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