Four of the biggest young stars in tennis—Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro—will compete in the Garden Cup, an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, Dec. 4. This is the first rendition of the Garden Cup since 2018.
Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spaniard, is coming off his career-best season, winning two major tournaments at the French Open and Wimbledon. It won’t be his first time playing in a blockbuster exhibition as he competed in the Netflix Slam against Rafael Nadal in the spring. He later teamed up with Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics for Team Spain. While the doubles team didn’t win a medal, Alcaraz took home a silver medal after falling to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match.
Alcaraz will face Shelton, the 22-year-old American who’s made quite a name for himself in the tennis world the last two years. Shelton didn’t advance far in major tournaments this season, but he put his face on the map when he reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2023.
The two young players have only faced each other twice in their careers, with Alcaraz winning both contests.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden, one of the most iconic venues in the world,” Shelton said, via New York Tennis Magazine. “New York has always been a special place for me, and I can’t wait to play in front of an electric New York crowd with Carlos. It’s going to be an incredible experience playing in front of a packed house!”
Americans Pegula and Navarro will compete against each other in the other match of the night. Pegula, who is currently ranked No. 7 in the world, is coming off a U.S. Open runner-up finish in September after falling to No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Navarro had a breakout season this year, starting by winning her first WTA title in January at the Hobart International. She most recently reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open after competing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Playing in New York is specifically special for Pegula as she is from Buffalo, N.Y. Her parents also own the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres.
“As a New York tennis player you dream of playing in the US Open final and playing at Madison Square Garden. To be able to do both in one year just shows dreams can come true,” Pegula said. “Really looking forward to coming back to New York and playing Emma in front of the best fans in the world.”
Madison Square Garden hosted big tennis events like the Garden Cup starting in 2008 until ‘18. Serena and Venus Williams headlined the last time tennis was showcased at MSG in ‘18.
The Garden Cup will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Dec. 4. Tickets can still be purchased on Ticketmaster.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Young Tennis Stars Highlight 2024 Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden.
