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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend US Open — 22 years after 12-year-old Swift sang ‘America the Beautiful’ there
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attend US Open — 22 years after 12-year-old Swift sang ‘America the Beautiful’ there

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce attended the US Open Men’s Tennis Championship finals in New York City on Sunday (September 8), where the two were photographed attending several social events together over the weekend.

Swift and Kelce were spotted on a pizza date in Brooklyn on Friday, and celebrated Karen Elson and Lee Foster’s wedding at Electric Lady Studios in Manhattan on Saturday before heading to a tennis match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens on Sunday. If this is any kind of whirlwind tour of the city, there are only two boroughs left to welcome New York this week: the Bronx and Staten Island.

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Several videos of the pop star and soccer player at the venue were shared on the US Open’s Instagram account on Sunday afternoon, with Swift seen in a classic red plaid sundress (Reformation, $248) and Kelce in a white shorts-polo-cardigan ensemble with a bucket hat (all Gucci).

The couple watched the game in a suite with Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany.

At one point, Swift and Kelce were filmed singing together during a lively sing-along of The Darkness’s “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,” which was played over the stadium’s speakers.

The Instagram account also reminisced with a post referencing Swift’s first US Open appearance in 2002, around this time of year.

The then-aspiring singer — at just 12 years old (soon to be 13, her birthday is in December) — got the chance to sing “America the Beautiful” at Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the complex where the US Open is held.

Wearing a sleeveless black dress and her long, blow-dried hair straight, a young Swift—found in a clip somewhat buried in a fan compilation video uploaded to YouTube over a decade ago—seemed to have mastered the art of crowd command during what would have been one of her first stadium performances. Even in high school, she wasn’t shy about glancing around or making eye contact with those watching from the stands.

At 12, with a slight aftertaste in her tone, Swift leaned on her early country influences for “America the Beautiful.” Her singing has matured into something all her own in her 30s, but the almost-teenage delivery is still unmistakably Swift.

“America, America, God has poured out his grace on you,” she was heard singing in the pre-fame video.

She had no idea how many stadiums would grace her name, how quickly they would sell out and how they would create a total ticket frenzy within the next few decades.

For September and through October 18, Swift is on hiatus from The Eras Tour, which wraps up in December. For now, there are no new Eras concert clips to sift through or ever-changing acoustic sets to look forward to.

Over the past few days the spirit behind The Tormented Poets Department has come out pretty publicly, meaning fans have gotten a glimpse into her social schedule. On Thursday night, she showed up to support Kelce and the Chiefs at their Thursday game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, before the pair headed to New York for the weekend.

Their public appearances this week come after an alleged media plan leak from Kelce’s team earlier in the week — an outline of a supposed strategy in the event of the tight end’s split with Swift, to whom he has been associated for the past year. Kelce’s public relations team, Full Scope, whose logo appeared on the papers circulating online, declared the document “completely false and fabricated.” A spokesperson for the company said it was “not created, issued or authorized by this agency” and Full Scope has “engaged our legal team to initiate proceedings against the individuals or entities responsible for the unlawful and damaging falsification of documents.” Swift’s representatives have not commented.

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