Tennis fans swarm Spectrum Center for the Charlotte Invitational

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fans packed Charlotte’s Spectrum Center Friday night, but the Hornets were not on the court. Instead, four of the biggest names in tennis faced off in the Charlotte Invitational. WCCB Charlotte’s Zane Cina was there and heard from fans who hope to see more pro tennis in the Queen City.

Nearly 16,000 people showed up to Spectrum Center to watch two exhibition matches. The Invitational’s slate started out with a match between Madison Keys and her self described good friend Sloane Stephens. Keys took the win after two sets with scores of 7-5 and 6-3. Defending Wimbledon and French Open Champion Carlos Alcaraz faced Frances Tiafoe, who wore a Hornets jersey, in the second exhibition in Spectrum Center. Tiafoe was able to pull off a win against Alcaraz after three sets with scores of 5-7, 6-1, and 11-9.

The event attracted many fans and even some of Charlotte’s top athletes. Greg Olsen, Steve Smith Sr., and Andy Dalton were seen in the stands. Danny Morrison, the Executive Director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation says the Queeen City is home to thousands of tennis fans. The Charlotte Sports Foundation hopes to tap into that fandom and wants to continue organizing tennis events.

Morrison said his organization worked for nine months to make the Charlotte invitational possible. “We want the fans to leave saying, wow, what a first class experience,” Morrison said. “And we hope the players say the same thing too. We want to get them back.” Morrison added that the event would not be possible without help from the Charlotte Hornets and Spectrum Center.

Some fans who attended were shocked to see Spectrum Center transformed into a tennis court. There were few empty seats, and some hope that will help to attract future professional tennis matches to Charlotte.