Carlos Alcaraz, 3 more to play in Charlotte tennis exhibition

Professional tennis is coming to Charlotte later this year — and it’s doing so in a big way.

The Charlotte Sports Foundation revealed Wednesday that the inaugural Charlotte Invitational will be played in the Spectrum Center this winter, and it’ll feature four of the biggest names in the sport: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Frances Tiafoe on the men’s side, and Madison Keys vs. Sloane Stephens on the women’s.

The exhibition match will take place Friday, Dec. 6, a day before the ACC football championship game descends on Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.

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“It’s a world-class lineup,” Danny Morrison, executive director of the Charlotte Sports Foundation, said in an interview. “We believe it’ll be an event that’ll be very special for Charlotte. And to have current players who are so well-known across the globe here in Charlotte will make it incredibly special.”

To call these tennis players mere “stars in the sport” is a bit of an understatement.

Alcaraz is the reigning Wimbledon champion and the game’s most promising young player — a 21-year-old phenom who won the French Open earlier this month and is now the youngest men’s tennis player to win a Grand Slam on all three playing surfaces (hard, clay and grass).

He currently sits at No. 3 in the ATP rankings, and his career trajectory is regularly compared to that of the sport’s greats, most notably Roger Federer.

The other three players are well-known too.

Tiafoe is considered one of the best Americans in pro tennis right now and is ranked 30th in the ATP. Keys is ranked 12th in the WTA, and Stephens is a former U.S. Open champion.

Match times are still to be determined, and the event’s title sponsor will be revealed at a later date, per the Charlotte Sports Foundation. Tickets will go on sale in the middle of July. Fans can visit CLTInviational.com for information on presale opportunities.

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