Just a few days ahead of the US Open’s singles tournament at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, on Thursday evening, Lotte New York Palace hosted its annual The Palace Invitational pickleball tournament to celebrate America’s largest yearly tennis tournament. The highly entertaining exhibition featured some of the world’s top tennis players, including multi-Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, American tennis star Taylor Fritz, Australian Open winner Madison Keys, and 2017 US Open women’s singles winner Sloane Stephens.
Now in its eighth year, The Palace Invitational attracted hundreds of guests to its iconic Palace Courtyard, where it was transformed into a professional pickleball court. With court-side views, the VIP crowd enjoyed complimentary Honey Deuce cocktails, the official drink of the US Open, which is a sweet and refreshing take on a raspberry lemonade made with vodka and garnished with honeydew melons to resemble tennis balls. Also, mini Moët & Chandon champagne flutes were served along with delicious small bites, which included Peking duck tacos, tomato tartlets with balsamic and pesto, crab salad with grapefruit, and tater tots with caviar. The atmosphere was electric, and guests also grooved along to the live DJ, who played hit songs like Katy Perry’s “Firework” and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.”
David Shenman, the Director of Sales and Marketing for Lotte New York Palace, kicked off the event by giving some remarks. “I’m the luckiest guy around. I’ve been here at the Palace overseeing our fun activations and things like this for the last 15 years. We are so happy that you are here tonight,” he told the crowd. “This is how we kick off the American tennis season here at the Palace. This started as a little ping pong tournament and has evolved into a little more than that, and over the years, the Palace has become the hotel of champions for tennis in New York City.”
Photo by Sansho Scott/BFA.com
This year’s Palace Invitational was hosted by Today co-anchor Craig Melvin and sportscaster Lindsay Czarniak. The two provided some light banter and introduced the starry tennis players to the crowd. The Palace Invitational commenced with the first matchup between Keys and Stephens, and the two provided some fun moments. The match ended with Keys taking the win.
The Invitational continued with Alcaraz facing off against Fritz. The two battled it out and showed off their amazing hand-eye coordination. Alcarez was the winner and took home a trophy. The event concluded with a thrilling mixed doubles matchup—Stephens and Fritz versus Keys and Alcaraz. This competition showcased exciting long rallies and got the crowd riled up. Keys and Alcarez were crowned the mixed doubles champions.
Photo by Sansho Scott/BFA.com
Every year, the Lotte New York Palace’s sublime pickleball tournament proves to be one of the most memorable invites of the US Open, and this year’s event was another huge success thanks to partnerships with Moët & Chandon, Miami Pickleball Club, and Electrolit. We look forward to another Palace Invitational!
