{"id":335576,"date":"2025-12-09T23:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T23:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/335576\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T23:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T23:31:10","slug":"at-the-inaugural-atlanta-cup-tennis-fans-gathered-for-the-love-of-the-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/335576\/","title":{"rendered":"At the inaugural Atlanta Cup, tennis fans gathered for the love of the game"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Naomi Osaka<\/p>\n

Photograph courtesy of The Atlanta Cup\/Jared Wickerham<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Saturday night at Gas South Arena in Duluth, and Naomi Osaka and Aryna Sabalenka are deep in a rally. Osaka floats up a lob; Sabalenka chases it down and answers with a tweener\u2014a shot between the legs while facing away from the net\u2014before closing the point with a backhand drop shot. She immediately spins around and locks eyes with Nick Kyrgios, king of the tweener, who\u2019s watching from the stands. The crowd erupts.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t just tennis. It\u2019s the inaugural Atlanta Cup<\/a>, an exhibition match held December 6.<\/p>\n

Until 2024, Atlanta hosted the ATP\u2019s 250-level Atlanta Open. When the tour retired the event to tighten its schedule, the city lost its only professional tournament\u2014a surprising absence in a place where recreational tennis thrives<\/a>. \u201cEveryone was upset with the ATP event leaving and I wondered how I could bring an exhibition match here,\u201d said founder Jason Dolan. After talking with players and scouting venues, he assembled a dream roster: Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Atlanta native Ben Shelton, and Nick Kyrgios.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Aryna Sabalenka<\/p>\n

Photograph courtesy of The Atlanta Cup\/Jared Wickerham<\/p>\n

Exhibition matches are unofficial\u2014players earn appearance fees and tend to relax, leaning into the showmanship they can\u2019t always afford to play into during a tournament. It\u2019s how you get Sabalenka firing off tweeners or Osaka subbing in a ball girl for a game (an unforgettable moment for that kid). But playful doesn\u2019t mean low-quality; they\u2019re still professionals. Shelton still delivered his signature 144-mile-per-hour serves and Osaka carved angles that left us blinking like the confused math lady<\/a> meme.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Naomi Osaka and a ball girl<\/p>\n

Photograph courtesy of The Atlanta Cup\/Jared Wickerham<\/p>\n

As a recreational tennis player that picked up the sport a little over a year ago, I completely missed the Atlanta Open era, and traveling to a major tournament hasn\u2019t been in the cards. I knew attending an exhibition match wouldn\u2019t be the same as a grand slam, but I couldn\u2019t resist the chance to see these players in person, just 30 minutes from home. Walking in to the arena and seeing nearly 10,000 Atlantans buzzing with excitement confirmed that I wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n

The crowd, predominately clad in vintage Lacoste sweaters with the occasional sequined skirts, raucously filled the intimate arena with cheers and chants, delighted not to be held to the hush-and-murmur etiquette of traditional tournaments. Even the umpire joined in the fun, bantering with players between points. Atlanta\u2019s Chris Eubanks, who recently announced his retirement, hosted the evening<\/a> and even played a point in his suit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The Atlanta Cup<\/p>\n

Photograph courtesy of The Atlanta Cup\/Jared Wickerham<\/p>\n

And unlike a baseball game, where fans sometimes show up because it\u2019s simply something to do, this felt like a room full of people who chose to be here. My seat mate, Antonia Bakalova, attended with her neighbor Emily. Bakalova doesn\u2019t play tennis but started following the sport because of Sabalenka, whose face was emblazoned on her t-shirt. \u201cI like her because she\u2019s a fighter,\u201d she said. \u201cEven when she\u2019s down, she finds a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Cameron Heard, whose wife surprised him with tickets, the Atlanta Cup offered nostalgia and possibility. \u201cI live in south Atlanta, so getting up here (to Duluth) was a hike, but it\u2019s a great event,\u201d he said. \u201cI went to the Atlanta Open and I was really bummed when they got rid of it, so I was really happy that they organized this event.\u201d Did the night make him want to start playing again? \u201cOh, one hundred percent,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ben Shelton<\/p>\n

Photograph courtesy of The Atlanta Cup\/Jared Wickerham<\/p>\n

Before the event, Dolan told me that what sets live tennis apart is the sound: \u201cThe ball striking the racquet,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible.\u201d He wasn\u2019t wrong. But the magic of the night went beyond that crisp pop: it was Sabalenka\u2019s smirks, Osaka\u2019s graceful prance before unleashing a punishing forehand in her yellow ruffled dress, and the crowd\u2019s collective gasp when Shelton tracked down a seemingly impossible ball. I\u2019ve long been an Osaka fan, but I left with a new appreciation for Sabalenka\u2014the world number one who somehow manages to dominate and not take herself too seriously, at least not on this stage.<\/p>\n

Sitting in the stands, taking it all in, I felt a sense of camaraderie I\u2019d never experienced in sports. We weren\u2019t cheering for a team or even a particular player\u2014we were simply there for the love of tennis.<\/p>\n

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