Olympic gold-medal champion Belinda Bencic is bringing her game to Macau.
Bencic will mix it up with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe in the inaugural MGM Macau Tennis Masters, an new exhibition event that brings top international tennis talents to Asia.
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Supported by the Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government, IMG and the Macau Tennis Association, the event is set for December 2-3rd at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, the largest indoor sports facility in Macau.
The hard court mixed event will feature a total of four ATP and two WTA players competing in a best-of-three sets format, with a ten-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.
Two men's singles matches and one mixed doubles match will be played on Saturday, while Sunday will showcase one women's singles match and two men's singles matches, followed by the awards ceremony.
Bencic will have fond memories of playing in Asia, with her stellar performances in Tokyo two years ago leading to her winning the Olympic singles gold medal and doubles silver medal. The 26-year-old Swiss has been ranked as high as number four in the world, and has amassed 10 career titles, with two singles titles picked up from three finals appearances in this year alone.
Meanwhile, Taylor Fritz has firmly entrenched himself in the world’s top 10 since late last year, and in March, he became the first American man to crack the top 5 since Andy Roddick achieved the feat in 2009. With five career titles under his belt, including his latest being picked up at Delray Beach this year, the 25-year-old is best remembered for his triumph at the Indian Wells Masters in 2022, when he beat Rafa Nadal in the final.
A close friend of Fritz, Frances Tiafoe has gradually built up his record on the tour, with the highlight of his young career being a remarkable five-set win over Rafa Nadal at the 2022 US Open in front of the biggest crowd he had ever been associated with. The 25-year-old is currently in rich form, picking up two of his three career titles in 2023, with his most recent win in Stuttgart making him only the third African-American in history to crack the top ten.
Together, Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz are the first American pair in the Top 10 since Mardy Fish and John Isner achieved the feat in May 2012.
The three other players participating in the MGM Macau Tennis Masters will be revealed in July, when ticket sales for the event will also be officially launched.
Photo credit: IMG