NEW YORK (AP) — Helped by Serena and Venus Williams playing doubles again, ESPN had its largest viewership through three rounds of the U.S. Open since the younger sister last competed in 2022.
The network said Wednesday that its coverage Friday, which featured the Williams sisters playing at night, averaged 1.1 million viewers on ESPN and ESPN2. It peaked at 2.2 million from 10 to 10:15 p.m. EDT, with Serena and Venus losing in a match tiebreaker to Hao-Ching Chan and Maya Joint.
Friday's coverage was a 17% increase from last year, with another average of 1.1 million on ESPN2 on Saturday a 37% jump from last year.
The tournament averaged 846,000 viewers through the third round, the most viewed since 2022.
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