Tennis Drops, NFL Delivers

The rain-hampered U.S. Open ended with the least-watched men’s final since 1998.

Andy Roddick’s 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain on Sunday afternoon drew a 3.5 preliminary national rating on CBS. The rating represents a 44% drop from the 6.2 rating last year.

The women’s final Saturday between Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters had a preliminary national rating of 2.5, a 52% drop from a year ago.

Meanwhile, Bill Parcells’ debut as coach of the Dallas Cowboys earned Fox its highest overnight NFL rating, while CBS’ ratings were up 14%. Atlanta’s 27-13 win over the Cowboys drew a 15.2 rating and 30 share. CBS’ regional coverage of games drew a 9.9 rating and 21 share.

From Associated Press