US Open fan speaks out after beer-chugging antics go viral

The US Open fan whose beer-chugging antics have taken the internet by storm, insists she will be returning next year to keep the 'tradition' alive.

American fan Megan Lucky became a viral sensation at last year's grand slam tournament in New York, after footage of her beer-swigging escapades went viral.

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The tennis fan decided to return to Flushing Meadows in 2022 in the hopes of once again becoming the centre of attention and basking in her 15 seconds of fame.

“I was like, if it happens again, I would love to have another moment, to have the crowd go wild one more time,” Lucky told The New York Post in a phone interview.

During the first week at the US Open, the 26-year-old was sitting with her boyfriend in the stands at Louis Armstrong Stadium - one of the smaller arenas inside the Flushing Meadows precinct - when she noticed the cameras honed in on the section of the stands where she was sitting.

Seizing upon the chance to once again make a name for herself, Lucky reached down and grabbed a beer from under her boyfriend's seat as she was flashed up on the big screens at the stadium.

"I thought, uh oh!” Lucky recalled.

“Sure enough, later on the cameras found me. I seized the moment and chugged the beer,” she said.

With the crowd around her breaking out into chants and her boyfriend offering his support, Lucky proceeded to skoll the beverage to the delight of viewers.

The video from the US Open's official Twitter account has been viewed a whopping 1.3 million times, cementing Lucky's cult status as a Flushing Meadows fan favourite.

“I just love having a moment to have people excited and cheer and feel something,” Lucky added.

Reflecting on the original beer-skolling incident that launched her internet fame in 2021, Lucky admitted that it was a spontaneous act spurred on by a few previous drinks beforehand.

“I was a little tipsy and I had a little liquid courage in me. It was definitely spur of the moment,” Lucky told the New York Post.

Megan Lucky made to feel like a 'mini-celebrity'

The 26-year-old described the attention she received from her stunt as a "hoot" and admitted that her newfound viral fame was an amazing feeling.

“I felt like a mini-celebrity for a while,” she said.

“I never expected any of this to happen... I didn’t plan it. It just happened.”

Lucky's internet fame has seen her number of followers grow to a staggering 81,000 on Instagram.

However, the tennis enthusiast says she's determined to remain grounded despite all the newfound interest in her.

“People just see a small sliver of me, and I have to keep it in perspective,” she added.

Lucky - who lives and works in New York in the corporate sector - made it clear that her actions were in no way an endorsement for binge-drinking.

“It was in the moment. I like to have fun. But I’m not pounding 100 beers,” she insisted.

The US Open fan favourite says she has already made plans to return to Flushing Meadows in 2023, and keep her beer-swigging legacy alive.

“I can’t wait to keep the tradition going,” she said.

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