US Open 2023: Where to Watch All the Action

The floodlights are back on in Queens, the late-summer air is thick, and the last Grand Slam of the year has thrown open its gates. The US Open is underway, the draw is loaded, and the hunt for the title has already claimed its first giant.

At the heart of it all is a simple question for fans around the world: where do you watch it?

Alcaraz defends, Djokovic dumped out

Carlos Alcaraz returns to Flushing Meadows not just as defending champion, but as the man the bookmakers expect to go the distance again. It’s his first tournament back from injury, yet he still opens as the +120 favorite on DraftKings for the men’s singles title. The expectations haven’t softened; if anything, the field around him has.

Jannik Sinner, one of his fiercest rivals on hard courts, is missing this year’s event through injury. That removes a major obstacle, but it doesn’t leave Alcaraz unchallenged. Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli, and Daniil Medvedev headline a chasing pack that can all rip through a draw when they catch fire.

One man who won’t be standing in his way this time is Novak Djokovic. The four-time US Open champion crashed out in a brutal, marathon first-round five-setter against Mariano Navone. It was the kind of match that drains a stadium and redraws a tournament in a single night. Djokovic gone. The bracket suddenly looks different.

Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Lorenzo Musetti have also fallen, trimming some of the depth from the men’s field but sharpening the spotlight on those still standing. On the women’s side, the chaos has been slower to arrive. The big names, for now, largely remain.

Sabalenka’s title, and No. 1, on the line

Aryna Sabalenka walks into New York with two targets on her back: the trophy and the ranking. She’s the defending women’s champion and the favorite to win again, opening at +290 on DraftKings. Her title defense doubles as a fight to keep hold of the world No. 1 spot.

Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula all lurk as threats to that ranking and to her campaign. Each has the weapons to turn a night session into a statement. Sabalenka will feel them breathing down her neck from the first ball.

Iga Świątek, the 2022 US Open champion, isn’t in immediate range of reclaiming the top ranking, but her form has snapped back into focus over the past month after a shaky season. She’s winning again, winning with authority, and playing like a contender rather than a subplot.

Behind the headline names, there are stories building. Alex Eala is emerging as one to watch. Naomi Osaka is back in the Grand Slam glare. Venus Williams has already exited the singles draw, but she’ll share the court again with Serena Williams in women’s doubles, a partnership that still stops conversations in any tennis stadium on earth.

How to watch in the US

For American viewers, the US Open remains an ESPN showpiece.

ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC carry broadcast coverage across the United States. Matches that don’t make linear TV are folded into ESPN+, which turns the tournament into an all-day, multi-court experience if you have the right package.

The most direct route is an ESPN Unlimited subscription. At $32 a month, it unlocks live streams from the main ESPN channels, ESPN on ABC content, and the ESPN+ exclusives that cover the outer courts and late-night battles the casual viewer never sees.

Those same ESPN channels are also available through live TV streaming services. Fubo and YouTube TV stand out for fans who want a cable alternative without the long-term commitment.

Fubo includes ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 in its Sports + News plan at $65 a month, with around 30 channels. New users get a free trial and $10 off the first month. The Pro and Elite packages, which climb past 200 channels, also carry those networks. All three plans fold in ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost, which means those ESPN+ matches are part of the deal.

YouTube TV offers ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 in both its Main plan and Sports plan. The Main plan is listed at $83 a month, but new subscribers can slice $15 off for each of their first five months. The Sports plan is running a separate limited-time offer, cutting the first six months from $65 to $45 a month. Both plans come with a free trial, a handy window to binge early rounds without committing long term.

Where to watch in the UK

In the UK, the US Open has moved firmly under the Sky Sports umbrella.

Coverage runs on Sky Sports channels, accessible through a Sky TV plan whose price depends on the specific contract. For those who don’t want to lock themselves into a longer deal, Now offers a more flexible route. Tennis fans can buy access to Sky Sports programming with various memberships, including a £15 single-day pass that suits anyone targeting a particular round or marquee match.

Where to watch in Australia

Australia’s relationship with New York’s night sessions runs deep, but catching every ball requires more than just free-to-air.

Stan Sport holds the rights for full, wall-to-wall coverage. To see every match, Australian fans need a Stan base subscription at $10 a month, plus the Sport add-on at $20 a month, taking the total to $30 a month.

For those content with a more curated slice of the action, Channel Nine and 9Now carry select matches at no cost. Viewers just need to create a free login to start streaming. Historically, as the tournament moves deeper into the second week, coverage has expanded, with a strong focus on top seeds and home favorites. So far, the 2026 broadcasts have followed that pattern.

Free options and watching from abroad

There are still ways to watch without paying, depending on where you are.

In Australia, 9Now streams select matches for free once you’ve set up an account. In the US, fans can sample the tournament via free trials from live TV services such as YouTube TV or Fubo, which include the key broadcast channels in their introductory offers.

For viewers traveling away from home, virtual private networks (VPNs) have become a popular tool to keep up with familiar streaming services and region-locked platforms. A VPN can temporarily alter the virtual location of a device, helping users access the same apps and sites they use at home while abroad, and adding an extra layer of cybersecurity.

Proton VPN sits among the stronger options on the market, with an interface that suits beginners, a range of security features, and a broad spread of global servers. Local laws and platform terms still apply, and using VPNs can be illegal in some countries or breach service conditions, but the technology has become a common part of the modern sports-viewing toolkit.

The stage and the stakes

All of it funnels back to one place: the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York. Concrete courts, roaring night crowds, and the sense that careers can change in a single fortnight.

Alcaraz and Sabalenka start as the names to beat. Djokovic is already gone. The draw is open, the odds are shifting, and every night session feels a little more volatile than the last.

The only real question now is who will still be standing when New York’s lights finally dim on the season’s last Slam.