Online Reporter
Coco Gauff’s French Open victory over Aryna Sabalenka was the most-watched women’s final at Roland Garros since 2016.
Overall, ratings for the full tournament were up 25 percent in its first year on TNT and TruTV over the 2024 marks on NBC and Tennis Channel.
American star Gauff’s three-set victory over Sabalenka of Belarus averaged 1.47 million viewers, up 94 percent than the previous year (756,000) when Poland’s Iga Swiatek defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
Serena Williams defeated Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the 2016 finals when an average of 1.5 millions tuned in.
On the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz’s marathon five-set victory over Italy’s Jannik Sinner drew 1.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched men’s final since Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2021 finals (1.9 million).
Alcaraz of Spain needed five hours and 29 minutes to outduel Sinner in a drama-filled match.
This was the first season of TNT’s 10-year, $650 million deal to televise the French Open.
Meanwhile, France’s Lois Boisson, a surprise French Open semifinalist, has jumped 296 places in the latest WTA rankings released Monday to a career-high 65.
Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff hold the top two spots after their run to the finals in Paris where American Gauff defeated world No 1 Sabalenka in three sets.
Boisson received a wildcard entry a year after undergoing surgery on her left knee, playing her first Grand Slam ranked 361th in the world.
The 22-year-old beat world No 3 Jessica Pegula and sixth ranked Mirra Andreeva before falling to Gauff in the semifinals.
Iga Swiatek, the defending three-time French Open champion, falls two places to seventh after her semifinal defeat to Sabalenka.
China’s Zheng Qinwen moves up to fifth after reaching the quarterfinals in Paris where she won Olympic gold last year − SuperSport.
