With its finale -- the Sept. 6 quarterfinal match between American teen
sensation Andy Roddick and eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt -- generating a 2.1
rating, USA Network finished its 2001 run at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament
with a 1.9 average in primetime.
Covering 11 sessions, that primetime performance -- stoked by the Sept. 5
match between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, which produced a 4.1 rating and was
the most-watched tennis in cable history -- represented a 36 percent gain from
the 2000 Grand Slam event's 1.4 average, according to Nielsen Media Research
data.
The 2001 U.S. Open marked USA's highest ratings average in primetime since
the event produced a 2.2 in 1992.
On a total-day basis, USA served a 1.5 average during its 11 days and nights
of coverage, a 36 percent jump from last year's 1.1. The 2001 Open was also the
network's tops in total day since a 1.7 in 1991.
The Hewitt-Roddick match, USA's third-highest of the tourney, was up 31
percent from the 1.6 recorded during the corresponding night in the 2000
tournament.
