The Palm Beach County Sports Commission is partnering with Universal Tennis Rating and the Tennis Channel to host a three-day woman’s tennis event in West Palm Beach, Fla., May 22-24. Three top-10 Americans will compete, as Tennis Channel’s 2020 (Re)Open Tour returns live tennis to fans around the world. The star-studded tennis event follows TaylorMade Driving Relief, a charity golf event on Sunday, May 17 at Juno Beach’s Seminole Golf Club, as the second made-for-television sports program to take place in Palm Beach County in the last week.
The competition will follow enhanced safety precautions, with screening, cleaning and social distancing for everyone involved. The games are being held at a private court without spectators or public access, and contain only singles matches. Players will provide their own drinks and towels, and each will be given their own set of marked balls for use during the match.
“Sports will always serve as a beacon of hope in trying times and this premier tennis showcase is a great beacon for sports in our community,” said George Linley, PBCSC Executive Director. “We are excited to welcome the world’s best tennis players to The Palm Beaches and are supporting their efforts to take the right steps to ensure a safe return to live sports.”
Tennis Channel’s coverage begins with the first matches Friday, May 22, from 12 p.m.-3 p.m. ET, a schedule it follows throughout the weekend. The players are Americans Alison Riske (No. 4), Amanda Anisimova (No. 5) and Danielle Collins (No. 8), joined by Ajla Tomljanovic, Australia’s second-ranked women’s singles player). Unlike an exhibition, the four will play for prize money and for results that will be included in each’s Universal Tennis Rating (UTR), a system that provides real-time, head-to-head rating comparisons based on performance.
Tennis Channel is simulcasting the women’s events live and on-demand in Germany, Austria and Switzerland via its just-launched Tennis Channel International streaming service.
