ESPN’s opening-day coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open drew the network’s largest first-day audience on record, peaking at 1.3 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC as unseeded Mariano Navone stunned No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic in a five-set marathon.
Sunday’s first-round action averaged 914,000 viewers on those networks, a 13 percent increase from last year. ABC alone averaged 1.25 million viewers, up 7 percent. In 2025, opening day aired only on ABC and ESPN2.
The primetime centerpiece was Navone’s 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over the 24-time Grand Slam champion on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The four-hour, 36-minute match averaged 958,000 viewers on ESPN, up 10 percent from the comparable window a year earlier, and peaked at 1.3 million between 9:45 and 10 p.m. ET.
It was also his first opening-round defeat at any major since the 2006 Australian Open. Navone, a 25-year-old Argentine ranked No. 49, converted the biggest win of his career as Djokovic labored physically, including visible illness and cramping late in the match.
The ratings bounce fits a broader pattern for ESPN’s U.S. Open package. A Sunday start, introduced in 2025, has lifted Day 1 numbers, and a marquee night-session upset on Ashe remains one of the surest ways to hold a national tennis audience into prime time. Coverage of the tournament continues across ESPN platforms through the Sept. 13 men’s final.