"Hope Jason Sudeikis appreciates my mentality”- Iga Swiatek delighted by Ted Lasso star's presence at US Open 4R win despite trying to 'avoid looking'

Iga Swiatek was delighted by Jason Sudeikis', star of the series Ted Lasso, presence at her fourth-round match at the 2024 US Open. The Pole, who is a fan of the series, joked about how she avoided looking at the American star to maintain her focus.

Swiatek kicked off her campaign at Flushing Meadows with a win against Kamilla Rakhimova and followed it up by decimating Ena Shibahara and ousting 25th seed Anastasia Pavyuchenkova. She comfortably defeated 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 30 minutes to reach the final 8.

During the on-court interview, the 23-year-old, who is a big fan of the hit series Ted Lasso, was told that Jason Sudeikis was in the crowd watching her play and was asked if there were certain aspects of the show she liked. Sudeikis plays the titular Ted Lasso, who coaches the British football team AFC Richmond.

The World No. 1 said that she loved the positivity of the show. She mentioned that football was mainly focused on team spirit, whereas, tennis was more of a solo sport, despite the involvement of a team.

The Pole then said that she tried to avoid looking at the screens to maintain her focus, however, she ended up looking at Sudeikis through the chair umpire.

“Just the positivity. It’s a totally different sport because there it’s all about team spirit. Here a little bit as well with my team but we’re alone on the court. I try to avoid looking at the screens. But I saw him tonight when I was looking at the chair umpire," Iga Swiatek said.

She hoped that the Ted Lasso star appreciated her mentality because it was what the show was all about.

"I wanted to stay focused and I hope he appreciates my mentality because this is what Ted Lasso is all about. I hope he enjoys and he’s not working right now on a new series or something.”

Iga Swiatek later posted a GIF of Ted Lasso hitting the 'Believe' sign of AFC Richmond's dressing room, a famous scene from the show, to announce her arrival in the quarterfinals.

Iga Swiatek will play Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open

Iga Swiatek (Image Source: Getty)

Iga Swiatek will take on sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open, in what will be the 10th meeting between the two. The Pole leads the head-to-head 6-3 and won their most recent meeting, the final of the WTA Finals.

Pegula has been in sublime form so far. She defeated Shelby Rogers, Sofia Kenin, and Jessica Bouzaz to reach the fourth round, where she played Diana Shnaider. The 18th seed proved to be no match for the American, who comfortably ousted the Russian 6-4, 6-2.

The winner of their match will play 22nd seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or Karolina Muchova in the semifinals.