On Thursday, August 24, The Knockturnal was on the scene for Lotte New York Palace’s 2017 Palace Invitational Badminton Tournament.
The cocktail party and exhibition match was headlined by 14-time grand slam winner and the number one player in men’s tennis Rafael Nadal. He faced off against tennis great Venus Williams. Genie Bouchard and Nick Kyrgios also played each other and brothers Alexander and Mischa Zverev played Kwon Hyuk-bum (CEO of The Lotte New York Palace) and CFO Fred Dixon. The MC of the event was Omar Benson Miller, who was in great spirits. He has a new series which will air during the US Open on the Tennis Channel called Advantage Omar.
Becky Hubbard, the hotel’s general manager made some opening remarks. “We are honored to share this evening with our closest friends and partners, all of you. So thank you for coming. I am thrilled to welcome this elite group of tennis royalty to our palace. Only at Lotte New York Palace can you experience such a unique event with world renowned tennis icons in an amazing and beautiful, historic setting.”
Fred Dixon added that it’s such an honor to welcome back the beloved US Open to New York City. It is the nation’s largest tennis event. 700,000 people will participate in the US Open. 60 % will come from outside of New York and 15% of the attendees will come from abroad.
Each of the matches lasted three minutes and scores were kept on a digital screen at the head of the court. After each set, the players signed tennis balls and hit them into the crowd for guests to receive special autographed balls. The match between Rafa and Venus was the most entertaining and fun to watch. All of the players also posed for selfies with fans after their Badminton sets.
In addition to great company, guests enjoyed delicious light bites like mini lobster rolls, pigs in a blanket, lamb kebab, watermelon and goat cheese with a balsamic glaze, basil ceviche and shrimp, while sipping on champagne and rose. For dessert the green tennis ball cake pops with a red velvet filling were popular. Mini strawberry shortcakes and lemon meringue were also enjoyed by all. It was definitely an evening to remember.
Check the hashtag #palaceperks for more cool pics and videos from the event.
Photo Credit: Paul Chi
