According to ESPN's viewership report, Venus and Serena Williams brought millions of fans back to tennis last week.
The sisters' doubles return at the 2026 US Open gave ESPN its best opening-round audience since Serena's final singles run in 2022. This year's tournament has so far averaged 846,000 viewers across the opening stretch.
Venus and Serena Williams Bump ESPN Viewership During 2026 US Open Return
Much of that surge traced to Friday night, when the sisters' first-round match against Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint headlined prime-time coverage. That window drew 1.1 million average viewers across ESPN and ESPN2, a 17% jump from the same slot last year. By 10:15 PM ET, the audience had swelled to 2.2 million, just as the three-hour match tightened.
But fans tuning in to see more Williams sister dominance left disappointed by the final score.
After forcing a third set, Serena and Venus built a 5-0 lead in the super tiebreak before Chan and Joint reeled off six of the next seven points to steal the 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7) win.
"The atmosphere is super special," Joint said afterward. "You're not really going to get that again with many other players."
Saturday's ESPN viewership also climbed to 1.1 million on ESPN2, a 37% rise above last year's mark. That's a clear trend that confirms what the tennis world already knew: when the sisters play, viewers tune in.
ESPN is building out its Women's Sports Sundays franchise with an 11-week slate kickin off September 13th. Women's college volleyball takes the NCAA lead, with 10 matches airing through late November, while the network also continues to serve fans searching for where to watch the NWSL this fall.
NCAA Volleyball Dominates ESPN's Sunday Lineup
The schedule leans heavily into marquee conference matchups. No. 4 Stanford visits No. 6 Louisville on October 11th, before No. 2 Pitt hosts No. 8 SMU that same afternoon, marking a doubleheader for fans tracking the NCAA volleyball title race on ESPN.
Earlier in the block, No. 3 Kentucky travels to No. 17 Florida on October 4th.
Where to Watch NWSL Matches This Fall
Five NWSL games round out the streamer's women's sports slate, offering fans an answer for where to watch late-season matchups before the league's playoff push.
A matchup between the Chicago Stars and Washington Spirit opens the soccer window on September 20th, while Decision Day coverage wraps it on November 1st.
The expansion follows a summer launch that averaged 1.04 million viewers across ESPN's first three WNBA Sunday broadcasts. Beyond volleyball and soccer, the fall lineup also adds WNBA Playoff coverage and an MVPW title fight on November 8th.
The Washington Spirit jumped four spots to No. 1 in ESPN's latest NWSL power rankings after coming from behind to beat the Portland Thorns on Saturday. The win marked the club's first-ever victory at Providence Park, capping a week that reshuffled the top of the NWSL table.
Washington Spirit Tops Power Rankings with Thorns Win
Trinity Rodman played a central role in the Spirit's final scoreline, threading an assist to Algerian international Mélissa Bethi for the go-ahead goal. Before that, Tara Rudd had pulled Washington level from the penalty spot in the 56th minute. The second-half turnaround was enough to vault the Spirit past three teams in one week.
It helped that the teams above them stumbled, too.
NWSL Standings Shuffle Sees Gotham FC Still in the Lead
Gotham FC dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 after the Denver Summit snapped their 10-match unbeaten run with a 3-0 shutout.
Despite the result, Gotham still leads the NWSL standings, but Washington is now close on their heels. The San Diego Wave fell one spot to No. 3 after a 1-0 home loss to Seattle. That match tilted early when Mimi van Zanten received a red card in the 13th minute.
Further down, North Carolina jumped status behind a 6-0 rout of Chicago, with Ashley Sanchez recording a trio of goals that put her firmly in the lead of the NWSL's Golden Boot race.
ESPN's NWSL Power Rankings: Matchweek 20
1. Washington Spirit
2. Gotham FC
3. San Diego Wave
4. Utah Royals
5. Seattle Reign FC
6. Portland Thorns
7. Kansas City Current
8. Denver Summit FC
9. North Carolina Courage
10. Angel City FC
11. Orlando Pride
12. Bay FC
13. Racing Louisville FC
14. Boston Legacy FC
15. Houston Dash
16. Chicago Stars FC
Women’s golf is getting a new stage, as ESPN and ION signed on to cover TMRW Sports’ WTGL ahead of the indoor league’s November debut.
Programming will air across ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2, while ION folds the league into its growing women’s sports slate alongside the WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, and MLV.
“With world-class athletes, an innovative team format, and a high-energy technology-driven environment, WTGL will bring fans up close to women’s golf,” said Scripps Sports President and CEO Adam Symson in a statement.
Five five-player teams representing Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, and New York will compete in a round-robin format culminating in single-elimination semifinals and a best-of-three final.
Rosters lean on star power, headlined by world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, top UK golfer Charley Hull, and LPGA legend Michelle Wie West, while No. 1 Nelly Korda opted out after voicing mixed feelings about the venture.
The WTGL takes over Florida’s SoFi Center starting November 8th.
The Portland Thorns are climbing ESPN's NWSL matchday 17 power rankings — even after losing midfielder Olivia Moultrie for the season. The young USWNT star tore her right ACL on August 11th, and will miss the rest of 2026 club season.
But Portland hasn't felt her loss on the scoreboard, most recently notching 2-1 home win over the Orlando Pride on August 15th.
Portland Thorns Keep Scoring Behind Sophia Wilson Attack
Sophia Wilson is the reason why the Thorns' offense keeps pushing forward. She returned to Portland this season after maternity leave and has slotted back in at the top of the attack. Her presence has given the club a steady scoring threat while it reshuffles the midfield without Moultrie.
But the mood is different in Kansas City.
NWSL Power Rankings Shuffle Sees KC Current Drop 5 Spots
The Current sat near the top of the NWSL power rankings earlier this summer but have since slipped, falling 2-1 at Gotham FC on August 14th. That loss capped a rough stretch that has knocked them down ESPN's order to 10th place.
Other teams making moves in a more positive direction this week are the Seattle Reign, who rose to No. 6 on ESPN's list, and the North Carolina Courage, checking in at No. 8. Meanwhile, Gotham FC, the Utah Royals, and the San Diego Wave all held onto their top three rankings.
ESPN is betting on women’s college sports, as the network unveiled expanded coverage across volleyball and soccer ahead of the 2026 NCAA season.
The volleyball lineup marks the largest in ESPN history, listing more than 2,400 matches including 106 on linear TV. Everything kicks off with an August 21st showdown between Louisville and defending champion Texas A&M.
The network will air the entire NCAA volleyball tournament, culminating in December 20th’s final in San Antonio.
ESPN will carry 46 regular-season NCAA soccer matchups including 10 top-ranked clashes. ESPN+ will additionally stream 1,750+ games across 22+ conferences.
2025 champ Florida State headlines eight broadcasts. Georgia hosts its first-ever match inside Sanford Stadium, looking to break the women’s college soccer attendance record while subsequently honoring the USWNT’s 1996 Olympic gold-medal win.
ESPN's Little League Softball coverage hit a new high this summer. The network aired 81 regional tournament games across seven sites in July, then tipped off the Little League Softball World Series on August 2nd in Greenville, NC with all 22 games across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC.
Combined, 36 games from regionals through the championship will air on linear TV, marking the most in event history.
The expanded slate comes with a growing audience to match. Last year's Little League Softball World Series championship drew 1.44 million average viewers, peaking at 2.98 million. Those numbers signaled a 139% jump over 2024.
What Happened in the Little League Softball World Series Opening Weekend?
This year's tournament gives that audience plenty to tune into. Twelve teams remain in the 2026 World Series double-elimination bracket: eight US squads, including a North Carolina host team, plus international entries from Japan, Italy, Puerto Rico, and Canada.
The first weekend of play saw Lake Mary, FL roll the Northwest 14-0 behind three RBIs each from Brynn Fieser and Callie Ousley. Central piled on early with seven first-inning runs in an 11-1 rout of the West. And Sangō, Japan rode pitcher Sara Matsuda past Toms River, NJ 4-1 to open Asia-Pacific's bracket run.
The tournament continues this week before the championship game airs August 9th on ABC.
Monica McNutt is drawing attention for her pointed response to Caitlin Clark's recent comments about media scrutiny. The ESPN analyst offered her criticism during Sunday's broadcast, and WNBA fans had plenty to say about it.
Caitlin Clark Discusses Media Pressure in All-Star Interview
During the WNBA All-Star break, Clark sat down with ESPN's Malika Andrews. The Fever guard called media coverage of her "emotionally exhausting."
She also pushed back on how journalists shape public narratives around players. Andrews endorsed the discussion on Sunday's broadcast, calling it an important conversation that needed to continue.
But McNutt saw it differently.
Monica McNutt's Remarks on Caitlin Clark, WNBA Criticism Spark Backlash
Monica McNutt questioned Clark's use of the word "fearful," noting that when players who are competing against Clark are accused of crossing lines on the court, they often face worse backlash on social media.
Then she pivoted to what she sees as a deeper issue.
"She is a shining star in the galaxy of the WNBA," McNutt said. "But I do think as she continues to mature, there's room for a little bit more accountability and self-awareness in terms of her role in the larger sisterhood."
WNBA fans quickly pushed back. Many felt the criticism was unfair while others questioned what more Clark could realistically do.
McNutt's criticism come weeks after Clark condemned the abuse directed at fellow WNBA star Alyssa Thomas. Thomas received the backlash after committing a Flagrant 2 foul on Clark during a Fever vs Mercury game earlier this season.
"As I've stood here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is okay," Clark said. "I don't want anyone to ever experience that."
Pro softball is staking its claim, as the No. 2 Chicago Bandits and No. 1 Utah Talons kick off the 2026 AUSL championship series on ABC tomorrow — marking network television’s first-ever pro softball game.
Chicago set up the 2025 title rematch with last night’s 11-inning 6-5 walk-off win over the Portland Cascade, advancing behind Ailana Agbayani’s RBI single despite committing a season-high five errors.
“Not often at any level — little league, college, pro — do you have five errors and win a ball game,” said Bandits manager Shonda Stanton. “But that’s what it’s about: being gritty.”
ESPN is producing the series for the first time, bringing 23+ specialty cameras, a drone, and live player mics to Texas A&M’s Davis Diamond. Parent company Disney is additionally staging a Toy Story takeover, with Woody and Jessie handling pregame festivities.
The news builds on reports showing the second-year league’s regular-season viewership rose 183% year-over-year, while merchandise sales saw a 200% boost.
Where to Watch This Weekend’s AUSL Championship Series
Game 1 starts Saturday at 1 PM ET (ABC), with Game 2 slated for Sunday at 2 PM ET (ESPN).
ESPN’s investment is is paying off, as the newly debuted Women’s Sports Sundays is reporting strong WNBA and AUSL audience turnouts.
WNBA broadcasts are averaging 1.3 million viewers through 10 games — up 6% over last season — while pro softball games are averaging 204,000 viewers to mark a 213% year-over-year increase.
Last Sunday’s Fever vs Aces showdown earned top WNBA ratings, peaking at 1.8 million for a 53% boost over 2025’s regular-season viewership.
ESPN’s decision to replace the long-running Sunday Night Baseball with a women’s sports block raised offseason eyebrows, though the math appears to be working in the media giant’s favor.
The WNBA’s entire TV deal totals $280 million across six networks, while MLB’s Sunday night programming alone runs $200 million per year.