How to watch 2026 U.S. Open: Daily TV schedule, RedZone stream, key players

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open.

Could we have asked for a more suspenseful finale to the Grand Slam calendar?

The Williams sisters are back, but Jannik Sinner is not. Carlos Alcaraz returns from injury to defend his title, but questions loom about whether he’s ready for the best-of-five format. Aryna Sabalenka looks to do the same, but the current world No. 1 hasn’t reached a final since March. Even the wild cards have caused a stir, with 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka barely making the cut in his final year on tour.

With the WTA No. 1 spot on the line and the men’s draw looking as competitive as ever, this year’s U.S. Open is a must-watch event. Plus, ESPN’s new RedZone stream is bound to keep fans engaged with live looks from all 16 courts.

Main-draw play at the U.S. Open begins Sunday, Aug. 30, and goes through Sunday, Sept. 13. Here’s how to catch the action from Flushing Meadows.

How to watch the 2026 U.S. Open

Venue: Billie Jean King National Tennis Center — Queens, N.Y.

Dates: Aug. 30 to Sept. 13

TV (U.S.): ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Deportes

Streaming: Fubo (Stream Free Now)

All ESPN networks and individual court streams are available on the ESPN app with an ESPN Unlimited plan.

Other global broadcasters:

Sky Sports (UK)

Eurosport (France, select countries in Europe and Asia)

RDS and TSN (Canada)

ESPN (Latin America)

CCTV and MIGU (China)

Nine and Stan Sport (Australia)

JioStar (India)

beIN Sports (Select countries in the Middle East, North Africa)

SuperSport (Select countries in Africa)

The full list can be found on the U.S. Open website.

Key players and storylines to know

The women’s draw

Sabalenka is a major story coming into this year’s tournament, and not just because she’s aiming for her third straight U.S. Open title. The No. 1 seed has struck out in all prior Grand Slams this year. Following an Australian Open final loss to Elena Rybakina, Sabalenka found solace in a Sunshine Double. Since then, however, the four-time Grand Slam champ has failed to win a title.

Sabalenka’s most recent defeat came in Cincinnati, where she was upset by Czechia’s Sara Bejlek in the round of 16. The woman who then ended Bejlek’s fairy-tale run was Coco Gauff, the 2023 U.S. Open champion.

After a career-best run on the lawns of Wimbledon this year, Gauff made another semifinal appearance in Canada and then secured her second Cincinnati Open title. With her dynamic movement, solid serving and world-class tenacity, Gauff looks to recreate what took place after her last Cincy win: a Grand Slam triumph under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Along with Gauff, Jessica Pegula and Rybakina are in contention to take the No. 1 spot. While Pegula is riding the confidence of reaching the Cincinnati Open final, Rybakina sustained an Achilles injury in the same tournament and retired from her quarterfinal. She was then forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open mixed doubles competition but is set for singles play.

Iga Świątek, who is coming off a title win in Canada and a semifinal appearance in Cincinnati, is another player to watch at the U.S. Open. So are two-time champion Naomi Osaka and Alexandra Eala, who became the first Filipino WTA Tour-level champ by winning the D.C. Open.

Meanwhile, Serena and Venus Williams have made their long-awaited return to Flushing Meadows. The two-time U.S. Open-winning doubles pair received a wild card for this year’s draw, though only Venus is playing in the women’s singles. The winner of seven Grand Slams currently finds herself on a 14-match skid. She opens against fellow wild card Sofia Kenin.

The men’s draw

The men’s draw is fragile. As Sinner bows out with a right knee injury, the other half of the current tennis duopoly returns.

Alcaraz and his team decided that the U.S. Open will be his first tournament since recovering from a right wrist injury that sidelined him for more than four months. And while his mixed doubles play alongside Serena Williams showed some rust, many flashes of greatness came through as well. But can he withstand the demand of playing seven best-of-five matches? Despite his lengthy absence from the court, the 23-year-old Spaniard remains the betting favorite.

If Alcaraz does successfully defend his U.S. Open title, then he and Sinner will have won a combined 11 majors over the past three seasons. On the other hand, if he loses in an early round, the trophy is there for the taking.

With Sinner out, French Open champion Alexander Zverev is the No. 1 seed, though he has his own questions to answer during his poor hard-court swing. Ben Shelton recently won in Canada and could potentially end the American male major drought, which now sits at 23 years.

It’s also worth keeping an eye on Cincinnati Open winner Arthur Fils, and you can never count out 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

U.S. Open TV coverage schedule

All times listed are ET.

ESPN and its partners are home to the U.S. Open. Parts of the first round and round of 16 will air on ABC, as will the men’s title match. Every other portion of the tournament will be on ESPN and ESPN2. Spanish-language coverage can also be found on ESPN Deportes each day.

New this year for the U.S. Open is a RedZone stream, which brings the familiar whip-around action from the NFL to the hard courts. Through Sept. 4, it’s available via the ESPN app to ESPN Unlimited subscribers.

Additionally, ESPN Unlimited provides daily live access to every match from all courts. Viewers can subscribe to ESPN Unlimited directly, and it is also available to customers of select pay TV services, including Fubo.

ESPN2 will broadcast the women’s doubles final, which starts at noon on Friday, Sept. 11. The men’s doubles championship will follow at noon on Saturday, Sept. 12, though its coverage is exclusive to the ESPN app.

Below is the TV breakdown for singles play.

First Round: Aug. 30-Sept. 1

Sunday, Aug. 30

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

Noon to 3 p.m. — Day 1 coverage on ABC

3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. — Day 1 coverage on ESPN2

4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 1 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 1 coverage on ESPN

Day 1 can also be streamed on Disney+.

Monday, Aug. 31

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 2 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. — Day 2 coverage on ESPN (Arthur Ashe Stadium)

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 2 coverage on ESPN2 (Louis Armstrong Stadium)

Tuesday, Sept. 1

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 3 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 3 coverage on ESPN (Arthur Ashe Stadium)

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 3 coverage on ESPN2 (Louis Armstrong Stadium)

Second Round: Sept. 2-3

Wednesday, Sept. 2

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 4 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 4 coverage on ESPN

Thursday, Sept. 3

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 5 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 5 coverage on ESPN2

Third Round: Sept. 4-5

Friday, Sept. 4

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — RedZone stream on the ESPN app

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 6 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 6 coverage on ESPN2

Saturday, Sept. 5

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 7 coverage on ESPN2

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 7 coverage on ESPN2

Round of 16: Sept. 6-7

Sunday, Sept. 6

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Day 8 coverage on ESPN

3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 8 coverage on ABC

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 8 coverage on ESPN

Monday, Sept. 7

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Day 9 coverage on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Day 9 coverage on ESPN2

Quarterfinals: Sept. 8-9

Tuesday, Sept. 8

11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — Men’s and women’s quarterfinals on ESPN

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Men’s and women’s quarterfinals on ESPN

Wednesday, Sept. 9

11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. — Men’s and women’s quarterfinals on ESPN

7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Men’s and women’s quarterfinals on ESPN

Semifinals: Sept. 10-11

Thursday, Sept. 10

7 p.m. to 11 p.m. — Women’s semifinals on ESPN

Friday, Sept. 11

3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Men’s semifinal 1 on ESPN

7 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Men’s semifinal 2 on ESPN

Finals: Sept. 12-13

Saturday, Sept. 12

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. — Women’s final on ESPN

Sunday, Sept. 13

2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. — Men’s final on ABC

The men’s final will re-air on ESPN2 from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Updated U.S. Open odds

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