The stars of HBO’s global hit show, Heated Rivalry, have been personally invited to the Australian Open by one of the biggest names in tennis.
As reported by Variety, US star Coco Gauff threw out the invite to Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams to come to Melbourne for the grand slam tournament during an interview, having previously professed her love for the queer hockey romance series.
“I just dove, like, right in,” Gauff said during a media press conference. “Obviously, there’s some nice spicy scenes. It’s such a beautiful love story. I think that was like the main thing.”
The series, adapted from Rachel Reid’s Game Changer novel series, follows professional hockey players Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander, portrayed by Storrie and Williams respectively, as they navigate a secret decade-long affair.
“The storyline, I think is so relevant, I think a lot of people maybe can relate,” Gauff continued. “The tension, obviously, the sexual tension and then the romantic tension. I love the trope that enemies – well, they aren’t real enemies – but enemies to lovers, but they both were denying their feelings.
View this post on InstagramLove Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
“Hi, Connor and Hudson, my name is Coco. I am tennis’ number one ‘Heated Rivalry’ fan. Please come to my match and watch me play… love you guys.”
Gauff kicks off her first match in the Australian Open on Monday against Uzbekistan’s Kamilla Rakhimova.
Heated Rivalry has been a hit worldwide since its premiere late last year and fans can’t seem to get enough of Storrie and Williams. Their Golden Globes debut last week proved to be a goldmine: 34,000 likes on an X post about Williams being a better kisser than his character, Shane; 26,000 likes on a video of Storrie doing tequila shots with Ayo Edebiri; 70,000 likes on their minute-long bit before presenting the award for Best Supporting Female Actor – Television. The awards show was the cherry on top of an extensive run of viral moments from late-night appearances, fashion house events, social content, and more.
