GGRAsia – Raducanu, Wu Yibing join MGM Macau Tennis Masters

Raducanu, Wu Yibing join MGM Macau Tennis Masters

Jul 19, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

The organisers of the inaugural MGM Macau Tennis Masters have announced two more names for the tournament due to take place in December in Macau. Emma Raducanu, winner of the U.S. Open in 2021, and men’s professional Wu Yibing from China are to join the event’s line-up, according to a Tuesday press release.

The event is being promoted by casino operator MGM China Holdings Ltd and sports-marketing agency IMG. The tournament is scheduled for December 2 and 3 at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. It will feature leading players from the men’s and women’s game, with a roster of singles and doubles matches.

Swiss star Belinda Bencic, along with Taylor Fritz and Frances Tiafoe of the United States, were announced in June as the first players confirmed for the tournament.

They are now joined by 20-year-old Ms Raducanu, who reached a career-high ranking of No.10 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in July last year. Her 2021 U.S. Open win made her the first British woman in 44 years to win a tennis Grand Slam singles title.

Wu Yibing has been ranked as high as world No.54 in April 2023 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).

The mixed hard-court event will feature a total of six players – four men and two women – competing in a best-of-three-sets format, with a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set.

The release quoted Luiz Carvalho, senior vice president for tennis events at IMG, as saying that Macau was a “premier entertainment destination” for the tournament. He attended a press conference on Tuesday at the MGM Macau property.

“After years without top-flight tennis in Macau, we believe this is the perfect location for two days of high-level sports entertainment,” Mr Carvalho stated.

Hubert Wang, president and chief operating officer of MGM China, said in prepared remarks that the group was “dedicated to present a spectacular sports extravaganza, appealing to fans and spectators from all around the world to come to Macau”.

He added: “Through a series of world class sporting actions with the presence of A-list players, we aim to form a synergy to help promote the city’s charm, maximising the potential of sports tourism.”

The announcement also cited Pun Weng Kun, president of the city’s Sports Bureau, as saying he expected the tournament to “attract crowds of tourists and encourage them to prolong their stay in Macau”.

“We are glad that the MGM Macau Tennis Masters is being hosted in Macau and are excited to see so many world-renowned tennis players coming to the city,” said Mr Pun.

The organisers of the MGM Macau Tennis Masters said they would announce “soon” one more men’s player to complete the tournament’s line-up. Ticket for the event will go on sale at 12pm on August 1.