Emma Raducanu impact clear as US Open final audience rivals Serena Williams feat

Emma Raducanu: British teen wins US Open

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Emma Raducanu has become one of the biggest sporting names in Britain since her historic US Open triumph, as she became the first qualifier in history to win a Grand Slam title. While the country has gone tennis-crazy thanks to the 18-year-old, it seems she’s having just as much impact across the Atlantic. The official viewing figures from finals weekend are in, and not only did the women’s final receive more viewers than the men’s final, it is also officially the most-watched final that hasn’t included Serena Williams.

Raducanu has already been tipped to go on to earn a billion dollar net worth, having scored a last-minute Met Gala invite and being offered the chance to attend the upcoming James Bond premiere in London.

The ESPN US Open viewing figures are just the latest indication of the Bromley teenager’s newfound levels of superstardom, as she reached an audience previously only garnered by 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams.

The 18-year-old started to capture attention in New York as she progressed through the main draw without dropping a set, having won three rounds of qualifying to gain entry to the US Open.

Ranked down at a then-career high of No 150 in the world and playing in just her fourth pro event, many were in disbelief at what the teenager was managing to achieve, as she barely dropped a game against some top 50 opponents.

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Her sensational run became even more impressive when she made it to the final – the first qualifier in history, man or woman, to do so at a Grand Slam.

It’s no surprise that Saturday’s final, seeing Raducanu take on fellow-teenager Leylah Fernandez, then went on to average 2.44 million viewers on ESPN, with a peak of 3.4 million viewers as the match reached its climax at around 6-6.15pm ET.

Fernandez herself had an extraordinary run to the title, ranked down at world No 73 when entering the tournament, she went on to beat defending champion Naomi Osaka, three-time Grand Slam champion Angie Kerber, world No 5 and recent bronze medallist Elina Svitolina, and world No 2 Aryna Sabalenka en route to her maiden Grand Slam final.

ESPN has since revealed that the all-teenage final – the first in Open Era history with two unseeded players facing off – is the most-watched women’s final of the seven they have televised since acquiring US Open exclusivity in 2015 that did not include Serena Williams (2018, 2019). 

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As millions of Americans tuned in to watch Raducanu lift her first-ever career title, at the US Open no less, Channel 4 revealed they recorded a peak of 9.2m viewers, having reportedly paid a seven-figure sum to simulcast the exclusive Prime Video broadcast of the match.

The new world No 23 also attracted more American viewers than world No 1 and 20-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, who was bidding to make history in the men’s final.

The Serb was looking to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the Calendar Grand Slam, and a US Open title also would have seen him pull ahead of Federer and Nadal to break the record for the most Major titles won by a man in history.

He took on world No 2 Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s men’s final, and lost in straight sets as the 25-year-old overpowered him to score a 6-4 6-4 6-4 victory and win his maiden Grand Slam title.

The match attracted an average of 2.05 million viewers on ESPN, with a peak of 2.7 million viewers at 6.15-6.30pm ET. – noticeably less than the women’s final despite containing the two best players in the world.

Beating Novak Djokovic in the viewing figures and being able to achieve a feat that only Serena Williams has is telling of where Raducanu’s star power is in the early stages of her career.

It seems her team is aware of the opportunities set to come her way, as lawyers reportedly raced to trademark her name in the UK just hours after her US Open victory.

The teenager also surpassed the previous tennis icon in Britain, Andy Murray, on Instagram as she is now at 1.9m and counting, starting the US Open at around 400k, while the three-time Grand Slam champion lags behind on 1.7m.

Having made this sort of impact at just 18-years-old, in her fourth-ever pro tournament, there’s no telling what the future holds for Emma Raducanu.

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