US Open 2023: Favorites, Broadcast Options, and Early Upsets

The lights are back on in Queens, the last Grand Slam of the year is in full swing, and the chase for the US Open crown already feels ruthless.

Carlos Alcaraz walks into Flushing Meadows as both defending champion and bookmakers’ favorite, but this is no gentle comeback. It’s his first tournament after injury, and the draw around him bites. With Jannik Sinner sidelined, the threat shifts to a different pack: Alexander Zverev with his heavy baseline game, Ben Shelton feeding off the New York noise, Flavio Cobolli emerging with nothing to lose, and Daniil Medvedev lurking with that awkward, suffocating style that has already brought him a title here.

On the women’s side, the story is layered. Aryna Sabalenka is trying to do what few manage in New York: defend the trophy while also guarding the No. 1 ranking. The target on her back is huge. Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula are all close enough to smell the top spot, each bringing a different kind of pressure — Rybakina’s clean power, Gauff’s athleticism and home-crowd surge, Pegula’s relentless consistency.

Then there’s Iga Świątek. She can’t reclaim No. 1 at this tournament, but she has quietly rebuilt her year over the past month. After a rocky stretch, her form has sharpened again, and she has pushed herself back into the conversation as a genuine title contender rather than a distant former champion. Alex Eala has started to turn heads with fearless shot-making, while Naomi Osaka’s every step is tracked for signs of another deep Slam run.

The nostalgia is unmistakable, too. Venus Williams is out of the singles after a first‑round exit, yet the Williams name remains on the schedule: she will team up with Serena Williams in women’s doubles, a pairing that still commands attention no matter the stage or year.

How to watch the US Open around the world

The tournament sprawls across day and night sessions, and while start times can drift with long matches, the viewing options are clear.

In Australia, 9Now is streaming select matches at no cost. An account is all that’s needed to jump in. In the United States, fans can sample the action for free by leaning on trial periods from live TV platforms such as YouTube TV or Fubo, which carry the main broadcast networks.

For those watching from the “wrong” country, the workaround has become familiar. Many viewers turn to VPN services to keep using their usual streaming platforms on the road, changing their virtual location to follow the tournament as if they were back home. Proton VPN sits among the leading options, with a broad server list and a setup that doesn’t intimidate newcomers. Local laws and platform terms still apply, though, and using VPNs to bypass regional blocks can breach service conditions.

US broadcast: where every point lives

In the United States, ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC share the broadcast load. Matches that don’t make linear TV drop onto ESPN+, making the platform essential for anyone who wants to see more than the headline courts.

The most direct route is ESPN Unlimited. At $32 a month, it folds in full live streams from the main ESPN channels, ESPN on ABC, and the ESPN+ exclusives that cover the outer courts and late‑night grinders.

For those who want a broader channel lineup, live TV streaming services step in. Fubo’s Sports + News plan includes ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 at $65 a month, with around 30 channels and a free trial followed by $10 off the first month. Its Pro and Elite packages are more expensive, but stretch to more than 200 channels. Crucially, all three Fubo plans unlock ESPN Unlimited at no extra cost, so those ESPN+ matches are covered.

YouTube TV also carries ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 in both its Main and Sports plans. The Main plan lists at $83 a month, but new subscribers can slice $15 off for each of their first five months. The Sports plan, aimed squarely at fans, is currently discounted from $65 to $45 a month for the first six months. Both plans start with a free trial, giving viewers a chance to test the US Open setup before committing.

UK and Australia: different routes, same destination

In the UK, the US Open sits with Sky Sports. Fans can watch through a Sky TV package, with pricing shaped by contract length and bundle choices. For those who prefer something lighter and more flexible, Now offers streaming access to Sky Sports, including a single‑day membership at £15 — ideal for dropping in on a big night session or a blockbuster final without a long-term deal.

Australian viewers who want every match, every court, need Stan Sport. The service costs $30 a month in total: $10 for the base Stan subscription and another $20 for the Sport add‑on. That’s the all‑access pass. For more casual watching, Channel Nine and 9Now step in with free coverage of selected matches once a free login is created. Historically, as the tournament deepens, that free coverage has grown broader, with a strong emphasis on top seeds and Australian players. The same pattern is emerging again in 2026.

The favorites, the shock, and the setting

The betting markets have drawn their lines. At the start of the tournament, Carlos Alcaraz opened as the men’s favorite at +120 with DraftKings, while Aryna Sabalenka led the women’s field at +290. Both carry expectation as heavily as they carry their rackets.

The draw has already bitten one giant. Novak Djokovic, a four‑time US Open champion, crashed out in the first round, losing a brutal five‑set battle to Mariano Navone. It was long, draining, and decisive — the kind of match that shifts the entire shape of a tournament. Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Lorenzo Musetti have also fallen, clearing more space for new names to surge into the second week. On the women’s side, the early rounds have been steadier, with far fewer seismic upsets so far.

All of it plays out at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, a venue that turns late August and early September into a blur of noise, humidity, and night-session drama. The stakes are obvious. A season’s final major, a city that never softens, and a draw already stripped of one of its greatest champions.

The only question now: who has the nerve and the game to walk out of Queens with the last Grand Slam of the year in their hands?