WATCH: Iga Swiatek and Serena Williams all smiles as they share a lighthearted chat in gym before Pole's US Open 3R victory

Tennis legend Serena Williams and current WTA World No. 1 Iga Swiatek were seen engaging in a delightful chat in the gym in a heartwarming moment at the 2024 US Open. This encounter took place just before Swiatek’s third-round match against 25th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on August 31.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, made her first appearance at Flushing Meadows since her career’s last professional match in 2022, where she lost to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round. The American attended Day 6 of the New York Major, where she watched compatriot Tommy Paul’s thrilling four-set victory over Gabriel Diallo in the third round.

Serena Williams has been a dominant force at the US Open over the years, winning six singles titles, two doubles titles, and one mixed doubles title, leaving an indelible mark on the tournament.

The official US Open X (formerly Twitter) account shared a short clip of the interaction, capturing the smiles and camaraderie between the two champions.

Watch the video here:

Top seed Swiatek went on to win her third-round match with a score of 6-4, 6-2, advancing to the Round of 16 for the fourth consecutive time at the US Open. The Polish star has yet to lose a single set in her 2024 US Open campaign, having cruised past Kamilla Rakhimova, Ena Shibahara, and now Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets.

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Karolina Pliskova believes Iga Swiatek is "much harder" to defeat than Serena Williams

Iga Swiatek at the 2024 US Open (Source: Getty Images)

Karolina Pliskova spoke about how she feels Iga Swiatek presents a tougher challenge than Serena Williams.

In a recent interview with Tennis Gazette, Pliskova, who has a 3-0 head-to-head record against the Pole, explained that Swiatek is difficult to defeat because she rarely hands out easy points. On the other hand, Williams and Maria Sharapova, with their aggressive playing styles, were more likely to make mistakes, which gave opponents more chances to capitalize and win points.

“To play against Iga Swiatek is much harder because she doesn’t give you anything. With Serena, in the end her game was much more aggressive or like Sharapova who I played. But they would at least give you light points or make some mistakes,” Pliskova said.

Iga Swiatek will take on 16th seed Liudmila Samsonova in the Round of 16 on September 1. The winner will face either 18th seed Diana Shnaider or sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the quarterfinals.