Tennis

The Garden Cup Tennis Exhibition Is Coming To Madison Square Garden On December 4

wendioliveros Sports Editor

Published29 Nov 2024

Disclosure

We publish independently audited information that meets our strong editorial guidelines. Be aware we may earn a commission if you purchase anything via links on our pages.

Even though the Australian Open is six weeks away, US-based tennis fans can still get their live tennis fix at The Garden Cup, which will be held at Madison Square Garden on December 4, 2024.

There is plenty of excitement for The Garden Cup because MSG used to be a thriving location for live tennis but has not hosted an event since 2018.

It is a one-night-only event with two matches beginning at 7 PM EST.

Who Are The WTA Players At The Garden Cup?

Four players are featured, two women and two men. Three of the four players are US tennis stars ranked in the World Top 20. The remaining player is a worldwide star with legions of fans wherever he goes.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Tennis returns to The Garden on Dec 4 with The Garden Cup featuring matchups between Carlos Alcaraz vs. Ben Shelton & Jessica Pegula vs. Emma Navarro. Access venue presale tickets starting tomorrow, Fri, Sep 13 at 10am with code SOCIAL. pic.twitter.com/sa2fFWwkNu

— MSG (@TheGarden) September 12, 2024

The women are Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro. Both were born in New York with Navarro’s birthplace being NYC. There will be plenty of fan support for both women.

Pegula, 30, achieved her career-best Grand Slam result in 2024 making it to the US Open finals. She finished the season at the WTA Finals but had to withdraw with an injury. Pegula has won six WTA titles in her career. Her end-of-season ranking was World No. 7.

Navarro, 23, climbed into the Top 10 with a great 2024 season. She joined the WTA Tour in 2023 after playing NCAA tennis for two years at the University of Virginia. She won her maiden WTA title in 2024 at Hobart International.

Pegula and Navarro have only played each other once. At the 2024 Miami Open, Pegula beat Navarro 7-6, 6-3.

Who Are The ATP Players At The Garden Cup?

American Ben Shelton, 22, will face World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, 21, in the men’s match at The Garden Cup. Shelton finished the 2024 season ranked 21st in the world. His best Grand Slam result was when he reached the semifinals of the US Open in 2023.

Alcaraz won two Grand Slams in 2024, the French Open and Wimbledon. He is coming off of an emotional Davis Cup event where his Team Spain mentor Rafael Nadal retired from professional tennis.

Alcaraz leads the head-to-head matchup 2-0 defeating Shelton once in 2023 and 2024 on hardcourts.