Coco Gauff Vs. Naomi Osaka Is Top US Open Tennis Ratings Draw For ESPN2

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A battle between young tennis titans Coco Gauff of the US and top-seeded Naomi Osaka of Japan at the US Open tennis tournament drew a 1.9 overnight rating for the 90-minute segment on ESPN2, according to Nielsen.

The match – in which Osaka prevailed 6-3, 6-0 – peaked in its final quarter hour, 8:15-30 p.m. ET, at a 2.3 rating. Both numbers are high points for a match and a peak rating for the tournament to date. The entire evening session averaged a 1.4, up nearly triple from a 0.5 last year. The entire 12-hour day earned a 1.1 rating, up 83% from last year’s 0.6.

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The world has gone gaga over 15-year-old Gauff, who made a strong Wimbeldon appearance that caused some to predict she’s the next big thing, particularly as Venus and Serena Williams age. The match with the equally heralded Osaka was viewed by many as a glimpse of the future of women’s tennis, something Serena Williams herself has said.

After six days of ESPN’s live coverage of the US Open, the overnight rating average is 0.8, up 33% from a year ago (0.6).

The Round of 16 will conclude Labor Day Monday on ESPN2. Featured matches include #1 Osaka vs. #13 Belinda Bencic at noon in Arthur Ashe Stadium, followed by #6 Alexander Zverev vs. #20 Diego Schwartzman. The evening session at 7 p.m. will see #2 Rafael Nadal play #22 Marin Cilic with the nightcap pitting American qualifier Taylor Townsend against #15 Bianca Andreescu. Late afternoon matches on Armstrong will have American Kristie Ahn vs. Elise Mertens followed by #13 Gael Monfils and Pablo Andujar.

ESPN has exclusive rights to the US Open, with more than 160 hours on television and 1,300 more streaming live on the ESPN app via ESPN+ and ESPN3. The daily action from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will culminate with the Women’s Championship on Saturday, Sept. 7, and the Men’s Championship on Sunday, Sept. 8.

ESPN reported that viewership through Thursday’s two rounds, dominated by storylines in the women’s draw, has averaged 691,000, up 26% over last year, with each window outperforming the comparative one in 2018. That peaked last night with ESPN2’s coverage of Gauff’s three-set victory over Timea Babos to reach the third round of the New York-set tournament.

Viewership for the match peaked at 2.16 million late in the match, which Gauff pulled out in front of 14,000 at the main Louis Armstrong Stadium. She became the youngest female to advance this far in the Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996.

The men’s side of the draw has been comparatively sedate, with the main intrigue surrounding 38-year-old Roger Federer and his quest for a sixth Open title. Federer has started his first two matches in a strikingly low gear, dropping sets in each match before recording the wins.

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