Prudential Center Hosts First Ever Tennis Event

History was made this winter at the Prudential Center as the Newark, New Jersey arena hosted A Racquet at the Rock, the first professional tennis event in building history. World number one Carlos Alcaraz competed in a December exhibition in the Northeast for the second straight year as he took on American Frances Tiafoe, while two of the top American women, Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, joined the men for a thrilling evening of tennis entertainment.

“In the 18-plus years that Prudential Center has been open, there hasn’t been a professional tennis event held, so we were very excited to connect with our promotional partner, Unified Events, to make this happen,” said Dylan Wanagiel Vice President of Sports Properties & Special Events for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, who operates events at the Prudential Center. “It was the exact type of marquee event we’re always looking to bring here to Newark, and I have to give credit to IMG, who represents most of the players and handles tennis operations for the event. These are big names, and global stars.”

The Prudential Center prides itself on being a venue for marquee events, and on this night, that was exactly what was delivered. The night began with an exciting junior match between Long Island’s Jack Kennedy and New Jersey’s Ronit Karki, before the women took the court.

Anisimova and Pegula delivered an exciting match that featured an array of long rallies. After splitting the first two sets, Pegula outlasted Anisimova in a third-set match tiebreak.

They then paired up with the men for a quick mixed doubles tiebreak, with Pegula teaming with Alcaraz, and Anisimova pairing up with Tiafoe, before Alcaraz and Tiafoe faced off against one another in the headliner.

Alcaraz and Tiafoe also went the distance, with Tiafoe claiming the opening set before Alcaraz responded to force a deciding match tiebreak. In front of his home fans, Tiafoe defeated his friend 10-7 in the tiebreak to claim the win in the first-ever A Racquet at the Rock.

In all, all four players enjoyed themselves and delivered a one-of-a-kind show for the New Jersey crowd.

“The energy and the love from the fans, it’s always a warm welcome,” said Alcaraz. “I’m always grateful for that.”

On Instagram, Tiafoe wrote:

“Big S/O to Prudential Center for the amazing night in NJ. Appreciate the love from the fans hope ya’ll enjoyed the show.”