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How to Watch the 2026 US Open: Live Streaming Options
The US Open has slipped into its second round, the New York heat rising along with the stakes. Day 5 is here, and the draw is starting to bite: Alexander Zverev, Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and a wave of American hopefuls all step into a crucial stage of a three‑week grind in Queens.
On court, the margins are getting thinner. Off court, watching it all has never been more fragmented—or more accessible.
How to Watch the 2026 US Open
In the United States, ESPN holds the keys to Flushing Meadows. The network remains the exclusive broadcast home of the US Open, with selected matches also spilling onto ABC and the ESPN app. Anyone still tied to a traditional cable package will find the tournament there.
Cord-cutters need a different route. Several live TV streaming services carry the core trio of channels—ABC, ESPN and ESPN2—inside specific plans:
- DirecTV’s base streaming package starts at $59.99 for the first month and includes ABC and ESPN+.
- ESPN’s own streaming option, ESPN Unlimited, opens the door to live sports and archived programming from $29.99 per month.
- Fubo’s Sports plan, at $65.99 per month, carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, with a quarterly billing option available.
- Sling’s Essentials plan includes ESPN and ESPN2 for $19.99 per month, with a Sling TV Day Pass at $4.99 for those who only want a single day of tennis.
- YouTube TV’s Sports Plan runs at $64.99 per month and also carries ABC, ESPN and ESPN2.
The choice is wide. The priority is simple: secure those ESPN and ABC feeds.
Watching for Free
Not everyone wants to commit for a full month. Some do not want to pay at all.
In the US, free trials remain the cleanest route. DirecTV, FuboTV and YouTube TV all offer trial periods that can cover a slice of the tournament schedule, including today’s second‑round blockbusters.
Outside that, the most intriguing option sits thousands of miles away. In Australia, 9Now will stream the 2026 US Open for free. Viewers in the US, UK or elsewhere who cannot use domestic trials may be able to access that coverage with a virtual private network.
A VPN allows users to connect to a server in another country and unlock geo‑restricted content. ExpressVPN, with servers spread across the globe, is one such service commonly used for location spoofing.
To follow the US Open via 9Now using a VPN, the path is straightforward:
- Subscribe to a streaming‑friendly VPN such as ExpressVPN.
- Download the VPN app on your chosen device.
- Connect to a server located in Australia.
- Head to 9Now and start streaming the live coverage.
Most of the better VPN services are not free, but many offer short trial periods or money‑back windows. Timed correctly, that can turn a Grand Slam fortnight into a cost‑free watch.
One last technical tweak: enable your TV’s motion‑smoothing setting during live sport to sharpen the speed of play, then switch it off afterwards to avoid that jarring soap‑opera effect on films and series.
Day 5: The Matches That Matter
The schedule on September 2 begins at 11 a.m. ET, but several ties jump off the page, particularly in the singles draws.
Women’s singles, round two:
- 11:30 a.m. ET: Naomi Osaka vs. Kateřina Siniaková
- 12:40 p.m. ET: Alex Eala vs. Oleksandra Oliynykova
- 7 p.m. ET: Coco Gauff vs. Paula Badosa
Men’s singles, round two:
- 11 a.m. ET: Félix Auger-Aliassime vs. Karen Khachanov
- 1 p.m. ET: Taylor Fritz vs. Mattia Bellucci
- 7 p.m. ET: Learner Tien vs. Gael Monfils
- 8:10 p.m. ET: Alexander Zverev vs. Quentin Halys
From Osaka’s latest step in her ongoing return to Gauff’s prime‑time billing and Zverev’s push as top seed, Day 5 carries the feel of an early turning point. One bad set, one lapse in focus, and a favorite can be gone before Labor Day.
The Shape of the 2026 Tournament
The US Open now stretches across three weeks, from Sunday, August 23, to Sunday, September 13, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. The event has grown from its 1881 origins into a sprawling late‑summer epic, second in age only to Wimbledon among the Grand Slams.
This year’s structure:
- Qualifying events: August 24–27
- Men’s and women’s singles main draws: August 30–September 13
- Mixed doubles: August 24–26
- Men’s and women’s doubles: September 3–12
- Junior events: September 3–12
- Wheelchair events: September 8–12
The business end is already mapped out. The Women’s Doubles Final lands on Friday, September 11. The Women’s Singles Final shares Saturday, September 12, with the Men’s Doubles Final. The Men’s Singles Final closes the show on Sunday, September 13, under the lights and the noise of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Who’s Chasing the Title?
The 2026 field is stacked with pedigree. Seventeen former Grand Slam singles champions are in the draw, ten of them past US Open winners. The depth is obvious; the absences still matter.
On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner is out through injury, a significant hole near the top of the seeding. That absence shifts the spotlight firmly onto Alexander Zverev, the No. 1 seed, with Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 and Félix Auger-Aliassime at No. 3. Each carries a different narrative: Zverev’s hunt for definitive major validation, Alcaraz’s bid to reclaim New York, Auger-Aliassime’s push to turn promise into hardware.
The women’s draw has its own hierarchy. Aryna Sabalenka arrives as top seed, Elena Rybakina sits at No. 2, and American Jessica Pegula holds the No. 3 spot. Behind them, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova and the evergreen Venus Williams add both star power and storylines.
The United States leads all nations with 28 players in the main draw. For a home crowd that has long craved a sustained wave of contenders, this is as close as it has felt in years: Gauff on the rise, Pegula entrenched in the elite, Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz throwing heavy serves into the men’s field.
The courts are set, the broadcast routes mapped out from Queens to living rooms across the world. Now it comes down to who can survive the next two weeks in New York’s unforgiving tennis furnace.
