Venus & Serena Williams Spark Biggest US Open TV Ratings Since 2022

A Doubles Match That Became Must-See TV

Venus and Serena Williams weren't supposed to be the story of this US Open. They were entered in doubles, a fun sideshow while the singles bracket grinds toward its final rounds. Instead, their Friday night match on Arthur Ashe turned into appointment viewing — and the ratings prove it.

At one point the sisters were up 5-0 in a deciding tiebreak, seemingly cruising toward a storybook win. Then it slipped away. Ten of the next twelve points went to their opponents, and a three-hour battle ended in heartbreak instead of celebration. The crowd of 23,000 didn't want it to end, and apparently neither did the TV audience.

The Numbers Behind the Buzz

ESPN confirmed its exclusive US Open coverage through the third round is averaging 846,000 viewers — up 5% from 2025 and the network's best mark at this stage since 2022. The third round alone pulled in 1.1 million viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, a 27% jump year-over-year.

The momentum wasn't a one-night blip. Day 6 coverage averaged 1.1 million viewers, up 17% from last year. Day 7 on ESPN2 matched that 1.1 million average, a 37% increase, with daytime viewership up 31% and prime time surging 43%.

But Friday night — the Williams sisters' doubles match — is the clear standout. That match averaged 1.2 million viewers, peaking at 2.2 million between 10 and 10:15 p.m. ET, right as the drama of the tiebreak collapse unfolded.

Why Tennis Fans Keep Tuning In

The Williams name still moves the needle, even in a doubles match years removed from their singles primes. Nostalgia, star power, and a genuinely dramatic finish combined to create a made-for-TV moment that outperformed a lot of scheduled singles matches this tournament.

It's also a signal for how the sport is packaging itself going forward. Networks and tournaments have leaned hard into legacy stars and crossover moments — think mixed doubles exhibitions, legends events, and family storylines — because they consistently outperform straight competitive matches in casual viewer appeal. The Williams sisters proved that formula still works at scale.

What It Means for the Rest of the Open

With singles finals still to come, ESPN's ratings trajectory suggests the network could close out its best US Open viewership window in years. If star power keeps translating to eyeballs, expect tournament organizers to keep finding ways to get familiar faces — even in "just for fun" formats — onto the biggest stages.