By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, December 4, 2024
Photo credit: Madison Square Garden Facebok 

Stars who lit up Arthur Ashe stadium with spellbinding shotmaking bring the magic to Madison Square Garden tonight.

The 2022 US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz faces 2023 Flushing Meadows semifinalist Ben Shelton and US Open finalist Jessica Pegula will play US Open semifinalist Emma Navarro in The Garden Cup exhibition event tonight.

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Tonight, MSG Networks will air The Garden Cup action live starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

It's a major tennis return to Madison Square Garden, which formerly hosted the year-end ATP Finals under Tournament Director Gene Scott. 

The season-ending WTA Finals, formerly known as the Chase Championships, were staged at Madison Square Garden for more than 20 years starting in 1977 and ending in 2000 when Martina Hingis defeated Monica Seles before a packed MSG crowd. Hingis and buddy Anna Kournikova partnered to win the doubles championship at the 2000 Madison Square Garden farewell.



Madison Square Garden also hosted what was the only best-of-five-set women's professional final when the WTA Finals featured a best-of-five final from 1984 to 1998.

Monica Seles' victory over Gabriela Sabatini in the 1990 final and Steffi Graf's win over Martina Hingis in the 1996 final were among the WTA Finals title matches that spanned the five-set limit at MSG.