Simone Biles, the renowned American artistic gymnast and seven-time Olympic gold medalist, recently attended the quarterfinal match between Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula at the 2024 US Open. Biles shared that she and her husband, American football player Jonathan Owens, are enthusiastic fans of Swiatek.
Swiatek, the top seed at the New York Slam, had an impressive run in the tournament. She defeated lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova 6-4, 7-6(6) and qualifier Ena Shibahara 6-0, 6-1 in the first and second rounds, respectively. She then overcame 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2 in the third round and secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory over 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the fourth round, earning her spot in the quarterfinals. However, Swiatek’s journey at Flushing Meadows ended with a 2-6, 4-6 defeat to sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the last eight.
Biles described her experience at Arthur Ashe Stadium as “electric” and expressed her admiration for Swiatek. “Oh my gosh! So far it’s been electric. It’s a lot quieter than I anticipated, but it’s an absolutely beautiful atmosphere. My husband and I are such big fans of Iga [Swiatek], so to come here and watch her work is just a blessing and an honour,” Biles remarked.