CINCINNATI (WKRC) – Rain and weather delays didn’t keep tennis fans away from the Cincinnati Open on Monday, as crowds continued to turn out in Mason hoping to catch matches and maybe even an autograph.
Fans gathered in an area where players cross from the players’ area to Center Court, waiting with jerseys, giant tennis balls, and other items in hopes of meeting their favorite athletes.
Rain and weather delays didn’t keep tennis fans away from the Cincinnati Open on Monday, as crowds continued to turn out in Mason hoping to catch matches and maybe even an autograph. (WKRC)
One group got a more personal opportunity: several breast cancer survivors who are also tennis fans traveled to Mason for a meet-and-greet arranged by the local nonprofit Move Beyond Surviving with Canadian player Gabby Dabrowski, who is also a breast cancer survivor.
“She’s so nice, and we got to watch her play tennis, which is really cool,” said breast cancer survivor Christina Luebke.
Dabrowski and her teammate won their match on Monday and are scheduled to play in the round of 16 on Tuesday.
Luebke said Dabrowski’s experience has been especially inspiring given the challenges of cancer treatment.
“She kept playing when she was diagnosed. She’s had two surgeries and went and kept playing,” Luebke said.
Luebke said she hopes more women will get screened as athletes like Dabrowski share their stories about developing breast cancer at a younger age.
“I tell anyone and everyone about my story. I, I’m not one to keep it a secret because I think it helps. Like, because a lot of people think it will never happen to them. And I was like, yeah, cancer is never going to happen to me. I look, I got diagnosed, I was 37 years old when I got diagnosed. I had never had a mammogram. So I think, yeah, you have to share your story to get the message out because people think it’s never going to happen to them,” Luebke said.
More tennis was scheduled for Monday night, with one of the biggest draws expected at the Grandstand, where Serena and Venus Williams were set to take the court. A check shortly beforehand showed a handful of tickets still available, with the cheapest priced at just over $100. One reseller had a front-row pair listed at just under $3,000 per ticket.
One of the players the Williams sisters were set to face is Cincinnati native Payton Stearns. The tournament runs through Sunday, with the women’s and men’s singles championships.