Women’s US Open final draws more than men’s for second year in a row

For the fifth time in seven years, the women’s US Open final outdrew the men’s in ratings in the United States.

Saturday’s women’s final saw a total of 2.442 million viewers on ESPN whilst Sunday’s male final drew 2.051 million viewers.

Fifth time in seven years that women’s #USOpen final outdrew the men’s on American TV.

Remarkable that the women remained a bigger draw with two players from outside the top 70 compared to a men’s 1-vs-2 battle for a historic Grand Slam. https://t.co/AheTfJrmq4

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) September 14, 2021

Worth noting is that the women’s final was competing with college football whilst the men’s was competing with the first weekend of the NFL regular season.

But for those that think the NFL is a difference maker, the numbers prove otherwise. The semifinal rounds – which featured no NFL competition – have also consistently seen the women outdraw the men for the past six years.

In the UK, Emma Raducanu’s win averaged 7.2 million viewers in Channel 4, peaking at 9.2 million, which could account for a bit of her meteoric rise on Instagram.

For ESPN, it’s the most watched women’s final since they acquired the US Open exclusively in 2015 that did not include Serena Williams.