In that room, to be a fly on the wall! World No. 1 Iga Swiatek faced Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi at the Cincinnati Open this week in a match that was worthy of a Grand Slam.
The Pole posted the photo on her X, previously Twitter, account on Thursday and captioned it, “Just two legends and a random girl in the middle.”
The three have an incredible amount of trophies, starting with 35 Grand Slam singles victories between them. However, Swiatek wants to win in Ohio and equal a feat achieved by just one member of the power couple.
Agassi took home the title in Cincinnati three times in the singles category and once in the doubles category. Graf’s best years did not include a women’s tournament. (The WTA calendar saw breaks in the competition from 1974–1987 and again from 1989–2004.) But Agassi was among the celebrities there for this year’s event, which is commemorating the tournament’s 125th anniversary. Last year, the tournament reaffirmed its commitment to remaining in the Midwest.
See also: Andre Agassi and Lindsay Davenport honor American field and commemorate 125 years of Cincinnati tennis
Meeting the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion has still been on Swiatek’s wish list. Earlier this year, she listed the German-born Graf as one of three former players she would love to have dinner with. (Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were the others.)
At Wimbledon, Swiatek remarked of Graf, “It’s hard for me to compare our styles.” Graf had retired two full years before the Polish star was born. “Obviously, the eras in which we are playing tennis differ. Finding similar items is somewhat difficult, particularly considering her backhand, slice, and volley skills and my inability to do them. Thus, mindset is more important.”
Swiatek reached the event quarterfinals for the second year in a row a day after taking the picture by channeling her best Graf impression and crushing No. 15 seed Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-2.
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