Emma Raducanu’s US Open triumph drew more viewers in America than the men’s final, figures show, as the British sensation rounded off her New York adventure by visiting the city’s famous Stock Exchange.
The 18 year-old said it was on her “bucket list” to see the “bustling” financial trading hub after studying it during her maths and economics A-levels. “I dreamed of coming here,” she said.
“The bustle, the busy-ness, I love it.” Raducanu’s head for finance could prove useful as she has already scooped almost £2 million in prize money, and is tipped to make more than £100m in endorsements in the coming years amid a global frenzy of interest.
Her final victory against Leylah Fernandez saw 9.2 million tune in to Channel 4’s coverage in the UK, and also attracted a bigger audience for ESPN than the men’s clash featuring calendar year grand slam-chasing Novak Djokovic.
In America, the Saturday broadcast of the women’s final peaked at 3.4 million viewers while the men’s final, which saw Daniil Medvedev win his first major title, had a peak of 2.7 million the following day, ESPN said.
Raducanu’s match had an average of 2.44 million viewers, a 37 per cent increase over the 2020 final when Naomi Osaka beat Victoria Azarenka.
Analysts said it was the fifth time in seven years that the women’s final secured a bigger audience than the men’s on American TV. —Agencies
