The Cincinnati Open is in full swing.
The 2024 match takes place Aug. 11-19 on the Lindner Household Tennis Heart in Mason, the place it has been held since 1979.
Attending the Cincinnati Open, previously the Western & Southern Open, has grow to be a convention for people and households throughout the area and past. However celebrity gamers additionally traditionally participated in a match custom that was even not too long ago featured in a Hollywood movie.
Here is what it is best to know concerning the lore surrounding the now closed Mason Applebee’s, a former hub for Cincinnati Open gamers.
The Applebee’s connection to the Cincinnati Open
The New York Instances reported in 2014 that Mason’s Applebee’s was as soon as a staple for Cincinnati Open gamers to dine at, stretching again to 1997. This was due to its proximity to the tourney and the Marriott lodge, its handy late-night hours, and the dearth of aggressive eating choices within the space.
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“Applebee’s typically turns into an intersection for many who have performed, are quickly to play or are associated to these about to play,” The New York Instances wrote.
The American chain restaurant was well-known not solely amongst American gamers, akin to John Isner, however was additionally the go-to spot for worldwide stars, together with Karin Knapp and Ernests Gulbis.
The distinctive post-match Applebee’s custom even impressed a scene within the 2024 romantic sports activities drama “The Challengers.”
The movie, directed by Luca Guadagnino, follows Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a former tennis star turned coach trying to show her husband, Artwork Donaldson (Mike Faist), into the following tennis champion. However so as to take action, he should face off towards her ex-boyfriend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
Halfway by way of the movie, Duncan and Donaldson, two longtime associates, reunite throughout the Cincy tourney. The 2 characters kiss for the primary time within the car parking zone of the Mason Applebee’s, reworking their friendship right into a romantic relationship.
In accordance with The Ringer, the Applebee’s scene “is not only a area of interest Easter egg for tennis fanatics—it is a tribute to a bygone period of athletes from throughout the globe eatin’ good within the neighborhood.”
When requested concerning the inclusion of the scene in “The Challengers,” Guadagnino instructed The New York Instances, “I really like the practicality of America. I believe it is unbelievable. The best way during which this panorama unfolds, every part may be utterly significant.”
Is the Mason Applebee’s nonetheless open?
Sadly, the Mason Applebee’s, situated at 9660 Mason Montgomery Highway, completely closed in 2019, Vulture reviews. It’s now a First Monetary Financial institution.
The place are you able to eat close to the Cincinnati Open?
The Applebee’s could have shuttered, however the match provides a plethora of eating choices, from Alfio’s Buon Cibo to Skyline Chili. Go to cincinnatiopen.com/expertise/eating for a more in-depth take a look at all of the choices.
In the event you’re in search of a eating possibility outdoors the match, try this checklist of eating places inside 5 miles of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
