All the criticism ESPN faced for prioritizing Coco Gauff over live matches is starting to look like a calculated ratings play. Remember when the network stayed with Gauff’s post-match coverage after her 6-1, 6-4 win over Iva Jovic instead of immediately switching to Learner Tien’s five-set battle with Karen Khachanov? Fans blasted ESPN for choosing star power over live drama. Now, those viewership numbers make that choice look a lot more deliberate.

The two women’s semifinals on Day 12 averaged 2.2 million viewers, with the audience peaking at 2.6 million during the early stages of Coco Gauff’s clash with Elena Rybakina. For ESPN, that was another reminder of exactly what Gauff brings to the screen. And fans were quick to connect the dots, crediting the 22-year-old’s pulling power for the surge.

And that timing matters. The US Open gives its women’s semifinals prime-time treatment, with both matches scheduled during the night session on Day 12, putting its biggest names in one of the tournament’s most valuable TV windows. The Australian Open follows a similar setup, while the French Open plays its women’s semifinals in the afternoon and Wimbledon does not operate separate day and night sessions.

That prime-time window also had the names to justify it. Gauff was joined by fellow American Jessica Pegula, two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka and eventual champion Elena Rybakina. With all four top seeds making the semifinals, it marked the first time that had happened at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2009.

And this is hardly the first time Gauff has delivered for ESPN. Her 2019 US Open debut helped lift ratings by 23 percent, while her 2023 final against Aryna Sabalenka averaged 3.42 million viewers, a record for a women’s final on ESPN. The audience peaked above 5 million, even topping the men’s final featuring Novak Djokovic.

That drawing power has also become part of ESPN’s long-term US Open strategy. When the network and the USTA announced a new 12-year agreement through 2037, they pointed to Gauff’s 2023 run as an example of the audience the tournament can deliver.

Those numbers could not have come at a better time for ESPN. The network spent much of the US Open taking heat from fans over matches locked behind its new ESPN Unlimited subscription, while repeated graphics errors only added to the frustration. One of the biggest blunders came when ESPN mixed up Serena and Venus Williams, giving viewers yet another reason to pile on the coverage.

Despite all the criticisms, fans tuned in to the US Open, and with Coco Gauff making a deep run, they had no shortage of players to root for at the latter stages of the competition.

Coco Gauff Proves Her Pull as ESPN’s US Open Ratings Surge

Fans were quick to credit Gauff. “Coco is always involved in the highest view,” one fan wrote, while another added, “Numbers don’t lie. There isn’t a bigger draw for women’s tennis than Coco Gauff.”

That support was even more noticeable during a tournament filled with late-night finishes. Several matches stretched past 2 a.m., including Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton’s quarterfinal, which ended at 3:33 a.m. Still, one fan wrote, “I know I stayed up past midnight for one person and one person only: Coco Gauff.”

Another added, “Mainly Coco Gauff can pull these numbers in tennis for women,” while one claimed, “Coco Gauff single-handedly carrying WTA.”

The comparison with last year only strengthened that argument. The 2025 semifinal field featured Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, and Naomi Osaka, yet Gauff still became the name fans pointed to when discussing ESPN’s stronger numbers this time around.