US Open Tennis 2026: South Africa TV, Start Time, Schedule, Live Stream
US Open Tennis 2026 South Africa coverage sits with SuperSport on DStv channel 214. The final Grand Slam of the year runs from August 30 to September 13 at Flushing Meadows in New York. This guide covers SAST start times, the round by round schedule, the DStv package you actually need, and the free options worth knowing about.
New York is six hours behind South Africa in September, and that works in your favour. Day play starts at 5:00 pm SAST, night matches land after midnight, and both singles finals fall in South African prime time.
Aryna Sabalenka is chasing a third straight women’s title. Carlos Alcaraz defends the men’s crown as the second seed, with Alexander Zverev top seeded after world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury.
US Open Tennis 2026 South Africa: Key Dates
- Fan Week: August 23 to 29
- Qualifying: August 24 to 28
- Mixed Doubles Championship: August 25 and 26, won by Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik
- Main draw first round: Sunday August 30
- Round of 16: September 6 and 7
- Quarterfinals: September 8 and 9
- Semifinals: women on September 10, men on September 11
- Women’s singles final: Saturday September 12
- Men’s singles final: Sunday September 13
The USTA calls this its largest event schedule and the most competition days in the tournament’s near 150 year history. The event spans 22 days in all, the main draw itself lasts 15 days, and first round singles is spread over three days instead of two.
Prize money reached $108 million, up 20 percent from $90 million in 2025 and the largest package in tennis history. Each singles champion earns $5.5 million.
US Open 2026 Start Times in SAST
New York runs on Eastern Daylight Time. South Africa is six hours ahead, so add six hours to any New York time on the order of play.
- Outside courts, Grandstand and Louis Armstrong day play: 11:00 am ET, which is 5:00 pm SAST
- Arthur Ashe day session: 11:30 am ET, which is 5:30 pm SAST
- Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong night sessions: 7:00 pm ET, which is 1:00 am SAST the next day
South Africa does not use daylight saving, and the United States does not move its clocks back until November, so the six hour gap holds from the first ball to the last.
Full US Open 2026 Schedule in South African Time
| Round | New York dates | South African time (SAST) |
|---|---|---|
| First round | Aug 30 to Sep 1 | Day 5:00 pm, Ashe 5:30 pm, night 1:00 am |
| Second round | Sep 2 to Sep 3 | Day 5:00 pm, Ashe 5:30 pm, night 1:00 am |
| Third round | Sep 4 to Sep 5 | Day 5:00 pm, Ashe 5:30 pm, night 1:00 am |
| Round of 16 | Sep 6 to Sep 7 | Day 5:00 pm, Ashe 5:30 pm, night 1:00 am |
| Quarterfinals | Sep 8 to Sep 9 | Ashe 5:30 pm, night 1:00 am |
| Women’s semifinals | Thu Sep 10, 7:00 pm ET | 1:00 am, Fri Sep 11 |
| Women’s doubles final | Fri Sep 11, 12:00 pm ET | 6:00 pm, Fri Sep 11 |
| Men’s semifinals | Fri Sep 11, 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm ET | 9:00 pm Fri, then 1:00 am Sat |
| Men’s doubles final | Sat Sep 12, 12:00 pm ET | 6:00 pm, Sat Sep 12 |
| Women’s singles final | Sat Sep 12, 4:00 pm ET | 10:00 pm, Sat Sep 12 |
| Men’s singles final | Sun Sep 13, 2:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm, Sun Sep 13 |
Only the first match on each court has a fixed start. Everything after it follows on, so one five set marathon can push a later match back by hours. The two doubles finals are the times published in tour previews, and the USTA had not released the official order of play for the closing weekend at the time of writing.
The USTA releases each day’s order of play the evening before, which lands overnight in South Africa, so check the daily US Open order of play over breakfast and the latest US Open results before you sit down.
- The finals suit you. Both singles finals start between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm SAST, so no alarm needed.
- Skip night sessions live. They begin at 1:00 am SAST. Record them or watch the catch up feed the next evening.
- Week two is the payoff. From the round of 16 onward the quality jumps and day sessions still land in your evening.
- Allow a buffer. A match listed second on court can start two or three hours late.
Where to Watch US Open Tennis 2026 South Africa Coverage
SuperSport holds the rights across sub Saharan Africa and shows the tournament on SuperSport Tennis. In South Africa that is DStv channel 214. Elsewhere in Africa the equivalent feed sits on channel 234, so a channel list from another country will not match your decoder. It is a 24 hour dedicated tennis channel, so it carries the bulk of live play.
You have two ways to watch live, and one that catches a lot of people out:
- DStv decoder: tune to channel 214 on a DStv Premium package.
- DStv Stream and the DStv app: the same channel live in a browser, or on phones, tablets, smart TVs and streaming sticks. When several courts run at once, the extra matches appear here as event streams rather than on a second linear channel.
- The SuperSport app does not stream live matches. SuperSport dropped live streaming from its own app back in 2017. It is excellent for scores, news, highlights and clips, but live viewing runs through the DStv app with your DStv login.
Which DStv Package Do You Need?
This is the part most guides get wrong. SuperSport Tennis is a DStv Premium channel. Compact Plus carries SS Extra on 210 and SS Extra 2 on 217, which pick up some tennis as overflow, but not the dedicated feed that shows the tournament end to end. Compact, Family, Access and EasyView do not reach it at all.
| Package | SuperSport Tennis (214) | Decoder | DStv Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
| DStv Premium | Yes | R979 | R799 month to month |
| DStv Compact Plus | No, SS Extra only | R659 | R549 |
| DStv Compact | No | R479 | R399 |
| Family, Access, EasyView | No | R339 down to R30 | R299 down to R99 |
Watch the R699 trap. DStv advertises Premium streaming at R699, but that price is a 12 month fixed contract with an R180 early cancellation fee. The month to month plan you can drop after the men’s final is R799. If your plan is to watch the fortnight and leave, pay the R799 and stay flexible.
Two things help this year. Canal+, which completed its takeover of MultiChoice in December 2025, held DStv prices flat in 2026, so the April increase South Africans usually budget for did not arrive. And the split bill feature launched in January 2026 lets the account holder share the monthly fee with one other person through the MyDStv app.
One thing to ignore. DStv is reported to be restructuring its streaming bouquets from September 17, renaming Access to Starter, Family to Select and Compact to Sports, and adding a streaming only sports tier at R399.
MultiChoice has not formally announced it, decoder prices are not affected, and the reports are clear that tennis stays on Premium and is excluded from the cheaper sports package. It also lands four days after the men’s final, so it does nothing for you this fortnight. Confirm anything you are about to pay for on the DStv packages page.
Can You Watch the US Open Free in South Africa?
Not the live matches. No South African free to air broadcaster holds US Open rights, so SABC and e.tv will not carry play. SABC Sport’s tennis rights cover the Davis Cup and the ITF tours, not the Grand Slams.
The eight free admission days announced for 2026, the seven Fan Week days plus Open for All Day on September 10, apply to the grounds in New York and have nothing to do with television.
What you can get at no cost is everything around the tennis. The official US Open site and app give free live scores, point by point tracking through IBM SlamTracker, draws and highlight clips from every court. SuperSport publishes free reports and clips on its site.
Two dead ends worth naming. Tennis TV does not hold Grand Slam rights, so an ATP subscription will not show you a single US Open match. And the pirate streams that surface every Grand Slam buffer at the worst moment, carry malware, and are illegal.
Watching Your DStv Account While Travelling
The boundary is sub Saharan Africa, not South Africa. Travel to Kenya or Namibia and DStv Stream generally still serves your live channels. Travel to London, Dubai or Sydney and live sport is blocked, even on a paid account, because MultiChoice licenses this content by region.
A VPN service routes your connection through a South African server, so the app sees a local address. Connect to the South African server first, then open the app. You still need a valid subscription. A VPN restores access to what you already pay for, it does not replace it.
Week Two Storylines Worth an Alarm
- Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed and two time defending champion. No woman has won three straight US Open titles since Serena Williams took three in a row from 2012 to 2014. Elena Rybakina has already passed her in the live rankings and takes the world number one spot if she reaches the semifinals.
- Carlos Alcaraz defends his title as the second seed. He won the 2026 Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam, the youngest man ever to do it, and New York is his first singles event in more than four months after a wrist injury.
- Novak Djokovic is already out. The fourth seed, still on 24 majors, lost in the first round to Mariano Navone in five sets while unwell, the longest first round match of his Grand Slam career.
- Alexander Zverev took the top seeding after Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury, Sinner’s first missed Grand Slam since his major debut in 2019. Seeds three, six and ten, Felix Auger Aliassime, Alex de Minaur and Arthur Fils, are also gone.
- Lloyd Harris was the only South African in the singles main draw. He beat Bernard Tomic, Henrique Rocha and Pablo Llamas Ruiz in qualifying, then fired 16 aces past wild card Jack Kennedy 6 4, 6 2, 6 2 in round one before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets. Junior Jahnie van Zyl also carries the flag in the girls’ qualifying draw.
See the full field on the US Open 2026 players page.
FAQ About US Open Tennis 2026 South Africa
What channel is the US Open on in South Africa?
SuperSport Tennis, DStv channel 214, carries the tournament in South Africa. The same feed sits on channel 234 elsewhere in Africa, so channel lists from other countries will not match your decoder.
What time does the US Open start in South African time?
Outside courts and Louis Armstrong begin at 5:00 pm SAST and Arthur Ashe at 5:30 pm SAST. Night sessions on Ashe and Armstrong start at 1:00 am SAST the following morning.
What time is the men’s final in South Africa?
The men’s singles final starts at 2:00 pm ET on Sunday September 13, which is 8:00 pm SAST the same evening.
What time is the women’s final in South Africa?
The women’s singles final starts at 4:00 pm ET on Saturday September 12, which is 10:00 pm SAST the same evening.
Which DStv package do I need for the US Open, and what does it cost?
DStv Premium. SuperSport Tennis on channel 214 is a Premium channel, at R979 a month on a decoder or R799 a month on DStv Stream. The advertised R699 streaming price is a 12 month contract with an R180 cancellation fee. Compact Plus and lower tiers do not carry the channel.
Can I watch the US Open free in South Africa?
No free to air channel holds the rights, so live matches need a DStv subscription. Live scores, draws, SlamTracker stats and highlight clips are free on the official US Open site and app.
Can I watch DStv outside South Africa?
Your live channels generally still work elsewhere in sub Saharan Africa. Outside that region live sport is geo blocked, so connect a VPN to a South African server before opening DStv Stream, then sign in with your existing subscription.
Is any South African playing at the 2026 US Open?
Lloyd Harris was the only South African in the singles main draw. He came through three qualifying rounds, beat Jack Kennedy in round one, then lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in four sets in the second round. Junior Jahnie van Zyl is in the girls’ qualifying draw.
Following US Open Tennis 2026 South Africa coverage comes down to one channel and one decision. SuperSport Tennis on DStv channel 214 shows the tennis, and you choose between a Premium decoder package at R979 or the month to month streaming plan at R799 that you can cancel after the men’s final.
The time zone does the rest: day play from 5:00 pm, finals in prime time, and only the night sessions asking anything of you. Bookmark the full US Open 2026 schedule and check the order of play each morning.
