MGM China will host what it describes as Asia’s first mixed-gender team format tennis tournament next month, with the 2024 MGM Macau Tennis Masters to take place at Macao Forum on 24 and 25 December.
The event will feature six elite players split into two groups and each captained by a legend of the game: team captains Li Na and Michael Chang. Also confirmed to take part are current top 10 players Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev, top 20 player Lorenzo Musetti as well as Shang Juncheng, the youngest player in the men’s top 50.
WTA stars Wang Xinyu from China and Karolina Muchova from Czechia will also take part.
“MGM and IMG co-organized the inaugural Tennis Masters last year, attracting tennis fans and spectators from all over the world to Macau with a stellar line-up of A-list players,” said MGM China President and Executive Director, Kenneth Feng.
“This year, we welcome the return of this eagerly anticipated high level competition at a joyous time of the year. The event continues to bring forth the synergy between sports and tourism to create an exclusive sports event brand for Macau, further elevating its transformation into a ‘City of Sports’ and a destination for world-class elite sports events.”
While the designation of players into their respective teams under the tutelage of Li Na – winner of the 2011 French Open and 2014 Australian Open – and Chang is yet to be announced, the format will see two men’s singles matches and a mixed doubles match on 24 December, followed by a women’s singles and two men’s singles matches on 25 December. All matches will be best of three tie-break sets.
The event was announced at a special event on Monday attended by Li and Feng, as well as Luís Gomes, President of the Sports Bureau of Macao SAR Government; Jennifer Si Tou, Head of the Tourism Product and Events Department of the Macao Government Tourism Office; Ma Iao Iao, Chairman of the Macau Tennis Association; and Luiz Carvalho, Tournament Director and IMG Senior Vice President of Tennis Events.