(Photo credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images)

A compelling final between two of tennis' biggest names meant a big ratings increase for the Australian Open, Front Office Sports reported.

Carlos Alcaraz's victory over Novak Djokovic, despite a 3:30 a.m. ET start time Sunday on ESPN, drew 730,000 viewers, according to Nielsen data. That's a 57% boost from the 2025 final (465,000), when Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverez in straight sets for his second consecutive title -- also from a 3:30 a.m. start.

Sunday's match in Melbourne was the most-watched men's final at the Australian Open since 2017, when more than 1.1 million viewers in the United States saw two of the sport's legends as Roger Federer topped Rafael Nadal in five sets.

World No. 1 Alcaraz, 22, became the youngest man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments, defeating Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 for the Spaniard's first Australian Open crown.

The 38-year-old Djokovic of Serbia, who counts 10 Australian Open titles among his 24 career major victories, lost for the first time in an Australian Open final. Alcaraz now has seven Grand Slam wins, adding to the two he previously won at each of the other major events -- Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open.

The women's final on Saturday also had a slight increase in viewership as 487,000 saw Elena Rybakina upset Aryna Sabalenka. That's 8% more than saw the 2025 final (452,000), when American Madison Keys knocked off Sabalenka, then a two-time defending champion.

Fifth-seeded Rybakina of Kazakhstan rallied from three games down in the third set to defeat World No. 1 Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 and win her first Australian Open.

Ratings for the full tournament were up 29% from 2025 as an average of 303,000 viewers watched on ESPN, ESPN2 and the ESPN app. ESPN did not disclose how many subscribers were added to ESPN Unlimited, which was a required purchase ($29.99) for full access to matches on the three main courts.

Numbers also were strong in person, as the 2026 tournament drew a record 1.37 million visitors to Melbourne Park over the three weeks -- a 12% boost from 2025. The main draw drew 1.15 million in attendance over 15 days, an increase from 1.1 million a year earlier.

The qualifying week attracted 217,999 spectators, an 87% increase from 2025.

--Field Level Media