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The Prudential Center in Newark was enthralled by World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and his peers on Sunday, December 7, who headlined the inaugural edition of A Racquet at the Rock. The Spaniard was joined by three players from the host nation, Frances Tiafoe, Amanda Anisimova, and Jessica Pegula.
Tiafoe and Pegula won their respective singles matches, while Pegula teamed up with Alcaraz to win the mixed doubles contest. Tiafoe stunned the six-time Major champion in a thrilling showdown. He put himself in the driver's seat by taking the opening set, only for his rival to level the proceedings by claiming the second set.
A 10-point tie-break was played in lieu of a regular third set. Tiafoe fended off a strong challenge from Alcaraz to score a 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 win. Pegula, meanwhile, staged a comeback to one-up Anisimova. The former went down a set, and then stormed back to capture the next set in a tie-break.
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Both were evenly matched in the deciding tie-break, until Pegula pulled away in the end to wrap up a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 10-8 win. The mixed doubles match was decided by a single 10-point tie-break. Both teams played some entertaining points in the extra-shortened format, though Pegula and Alcaraz eventually prevailed 10-8.
The exhibition fever in the US isn't done just yet. A Racquet at the Rock was the third exhibition in the past five days. The Charlotte Invitational set the ball rolling on December 4, which featured the likes of Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Venus Williams, and Madison Keys.
The Atlanta Cup brought together Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Nick Kyrgios on the same stage on December 6. A Racquet at the Rock delighted fans on December 7, and there are two more exhibition events lined up on December 8 to vanquish the Monday blues.
Carlos Alcaraz will partake in the Miami Invitational following A Racquet at the Rock
Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka, the top-ranked players across both tours, will headline the exhibition events in Miami and New York respectively on Monday, December 8. Following his appearance at A Racquet at the Rock, Alcaraz will head to Florida for the Miami Invitational.
Alcaraz will be joined by Jessica Pegula and Amanda Anisimova, who were with him for A Racquet at the Rock, along with Joao Fonseca. Sabalenka will reunite with Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios as well, and the trio will be joined by Tommy Paul for the Garden Cup, which will be held at the iconic Madison Square Garden.
Sabalenka and Kyrgios will meet again for another exhibition later this month. The two will lock horns in the latest edition of the Battle of the Sexes, which will take place in Dubai on December 28.
