Serena, Venus To Compete at Madison Square Garden

January 11, 2018 | By New York Tennis Magazine Staff
Photo Credit: USTA

 

Tie Break Tens, the new fast-paced short-form tennis format, revealed today that tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams will compete in the fifth tournament of the Tie Break Tens series, which will be held at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 5, 2018. The all-women contest is the first time a Tie Break Tens tournament will be held in the United States and follows on the heels of tournaments in London, Vienna, Madrid and Melbourne.

Tie Break Tens tournaments are held over one session and involve eight players competing in a knock-out format, with each match consisting of a super tie-break to ten points. For the New York competition, eight world-class female tennis players, including the legendary Williams sisters, will battle it out to raise the trophy and secure the $250,000 winner’s prize.

Serena Williams is considered one of the best tennis players of all time, with more than 300 weeks as world number one, 23 singles Grand Slams, 14 in doubles and 2 in mixed doubles and four Olympic Gold medals.

“Tie Break Tens is a really interesting fast-paced format that is taking the Tennis world by storm,” said Serena.  “I am excited to be playing in the first ever US tournament and cannot wait to play at Madison Square Garden with my sister.”

Venus Williams has parlayed her competitive spirit into becoming one of the most accomplished and inspiring women in the history of sports. Currently ranked as the fifth best female tennis player in the world by WTA, Venus has built her legendary status on 4 Olympic gold medals, 5 Wimbledon titles, 2 US Open victories, 1 WTA Finals title, and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the next Tie Break Tens tournament with my sister, particularly in front of a New York crowd on home soil,” said Venus. “It’s unlike anything we’ve seen in tennis before and it helps bring in new fans to the sport.”

The most recent Tie Break Tens tournament was held in Melbourne Park’s Margaret Court Arena earlier this week in association with the Australian Open. The tournament included the men’s tennis world’s most successful champions including World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and former World No.1 Novak Djokovic as well as Nick Kyrgios, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych, Dominic Thiem, Lucas Pouille and Lleyton Hewitt. After a heated battle with Rafael Nadal in the final, World No. 19 Tomas Berdych, was crowned the Tie Break Tens champion.

“We’re thrilled that Serena and Venus are competing in the first Tie Break Tens to be played on US soil, in such an iconic venue,” said Felicity Barnard, CEO of Tie Break Tens. “Hot on the heels of a sell-out men’s tournament in Melbourne this week, it’s clear that Tie Break Tens is fast becoming a regular fixture in the Tennis calendar.”

The first Tie Break Tens tournament was held in 2015 in London’s Royal Albert Hall, where British rising star Kyle Edmund saw off top-seed Andy Murray in a gripping final to take the $250,000 prize. There have also been Tie Break Tens tournaments held in Vienna in 2016 and Madrid in 2017, where World No. 1 Simona Halep smashed her way to victory in the women’s tournament before going on to win the Mutua Madrid Open.

The remaining six participants in the New York tournament will be announced shortly.


New York Tennis Magazine Staff
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