{
  "id": 7854183,
  "title": "ABC secures most-watched US Open men’s final in network history",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/abc-secures-most-watched-us-open-mens-final-in-network-history",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-16T19:30:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/abc-secures-most-watched-us-193046260.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "ABC has recorded its highest-rated US Open men's final in network history, according to wire material. The championship match between Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev drew an average of 3.2 million viewers on ABC, surpassing the previous record since ESPN took over broadcasting rights in 2009. The audience grew by 9 percent compared to the 2024 final, which featured Taylor Fritz, who became the first American man to compete in a US Open final since Andy Roddick. The peak viewership for the final was 4.0 million in the 5:30 p.m. ET quarter-hour.\n\nThe strong performance of the men's final came as Zverev's victory over Shelton outpaced an all-American semifinal between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, which averaged 3.1 million viewers. Zverev's win over Karen Khachanov earlier that day had an even smaller audience of 1.2 million viewers.\n\nMeanwhile, the women's final on Saturday saw Elena Rybakina defeat Aryna Sabalenka, with a 2.7 million viewer average, marking a 13 percent increase from last year's match. The peak audience for the women's final was 3.2 million viewers. Overall, ESPN characterized this year's US Open as the most-watched since 2022, with an average of 1.2 million viewers across the two-week tournament, a 4 percent increase from the previous year.",
  "summary": "For the second time since 2006, an American man was featured in the US Open championship match. As expected, his appearance drew strong viewership on ABC. Sunday’s US Open men’s final between Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev averaged 3.2 million viewers on ABC, marking the most-watched edition of the match since ESPN secured rights to…",
  "key_points": [
    "ABC set new record with 3.2 million average viewers for men's final",
    "Ben Shelton vs Alexander Zverev match outpaced 2024 final by 9%",
    "Zverev's win over Karen Khachanov drew 1.2 million viewers"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}