The 2026 Wimbledon women's singles final between Linda Noskova and Karolina Muchova delivered the highest viewership of any women's championship match in ESPN's history at the grass-court Grand Slam, averaging 1.9 million viewers — a 48% increase from the 2025 final, the network announced.
The all-Czech clash on Saturday July 11 saw 22-year-old Noskova battle past her compatriot 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in a gripping contest that featured five squandered match points and a 5-2 second-set lead evaporating before the dramatic decider. The compelling storyline stood in stark contrast to the 2025 final, when Iga Swiatek dismantled Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in 57 minutes — a rout that offered little suspense for the audience.
ESPN, which began its Wimbledon coverage in 2003 and has held exclusive rights since 2012, saw the women's final become the network's most-watched women's championship match at Wimbledon, surpassing the previous high set last year. It also ranked as the second most-viewed Wimbledon overall in ESPN's history, trailing only the 2019 edition — featuring Novak Djokovic's epic five-set victory over Roger Federer and Simona Halep's dominant win against Serena Williams. Average daily viewership across the fortnight reached 853,000, an 18% year-on-year rise.
