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Why an Applebee’s lives in Hollywood, Cincinnati Open tennis lore
The Cincinnati Open is in full swing.
The 2024 match takes place Aug. 11-19 on the Lindner Household Tennis Middle in Mason, the place it has been held since 1979.
Attending the Cincinnati Open, previously the Western & Southern Open, has turn out to be a practice for people and households throughout the area and past. However famous person gamers additionally traditionally participated in a match custom that was even lately featured in a Hollywood movie.
Here is what you must know in regards to 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 Occasions 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 shortage of aggressive eating choices within the space.
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“Applebee’s typically turns into an intersection for individuals who have performed, are quickly to play or are associated to these about to play,” The New York Occasions wrote.
The American chain restaurant was well-known not solely amongst American gamers, comparable 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 subsequent tennis champion. However so as to take action, he should face off in opposition to her ex-boyfriend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
Halfway by means of the movie, Duncan and Donaldson, two longtime mates, reunite through 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 response to 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 in regards to the inclusion of the scene in “The Challengers,” Guadagnino advised The New York Occasions, “I like the practicality of America. I believe it is unbelievable. The best way wherein this panorama unfolds, every part may be fully significant.”
Is the Mason Applebee’s nonetheless open?
Sadly, the Mason Applebee’s, positioned at 9660 Mason Montgomery Highway, completely closed in 2019, Vulture experiences. 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 gives a plethora of eating choices, from Alfio’s Buon Cibo to Skyline Chili. Go to cincinnatiopen.com/expertise/eating for a more in-depth have a look at all of the choices.
If you happen to’re searching for a eating choice exterior the match, take a look at this record of eating places inside 5 miles of the 2024 Cincinnati Open.
