ESPN2 Nets Most-Watched Tennis Telecast
Oudin Ouster, Federer Triumph Score 2.3 Million Watchers Wednesday
Mike Reynolds 9/11/2009 3:35:10 PM EDT

ESPN2 scored its most-watched tennis telecast ever Wednesday night.

The Sept. 9 telecast, which saw American teenager Melanie Oudin's run end on the racquet of Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer top Robin Soderling in four sets, averaged a 1.8 cable rating and 2.32 million watchers, according to Nielsen Media Research data.

The Wednesday night match window, lasting more than five hours, earned ESPN2' second highest tennis rating, trailing only the 1.9 generated by the 2007 U.S. Open final between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. The Sept. 9 telecast netted ESPN2's sixth biggest audience of the year, said network officials.

Through Sept. 9, ESPN2 averaged 1 million viewers for its Open cablecasts, ahead 22.3% from 834,000 watchers over the comparable span on USA Network last year. In primetime, ESPN2 averaged a 1.0 national rating, 43% better than USA had at this stage a year ago