Viva Vegas sports
Several professional tennis stars will jet into Sin City for competitive exhibition matches this weekend.
showdown takes place Saturday and Sunday
The MGM Rewards Slam showdown takes place Saturday and Sunday at the gaming giant-owned Michelob Ultra Arena. On Monday, MGM’s sports entertainment arm took to X to promote the event, which will take place at the former Mandalay Bay Events Center:
As a sign of Vegas’ pulling power, Saturday’s match-up will see the World Tennis Association’s No. 1-ranked women’s star Aryna Sabalenka facing the USA’s former No. 1 Naomi Osaka for the Lion’s Cup.
Sinner defaults to Ruud
The fact that Sabalenka is on the weekend card is testimony to Vegas’ attraction to the elite of world sports. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, however, MGM’s pursuit of the WTA men’s No.1 Jannik Sinner for the exhibition showcase fell through after the Italian was suspended for failing two doping tests.
Sinner’s last-minute replacement, WTA’s No.5 ranked Casper Ruud, will instead face No.2 ranked Alexander Zverev on Sunday. Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul are also playing on Sunday in an event that sees the selected players doing battle in a round-robin event using 10-point tiebreakers.
The two players who secure the most points in their match-ups will fight it out in the championship for the Lion’s Cup.
At some point, it would be fun to play an ATP tour event in Vegas”
Norwegian Ruud, who has pocketed over $23m in career prize earnings, was excited about coming to Vegas. Ruud expressed his hope for Vegas hosting a pro tournament again. “At some point, it would be fun to play an ATP tour event in Vegas,” he said.
Sphere in his eyes
Ruud’s excitement for Vegas is two-fold. He referenced last year’s event which saw Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz go toe-to-toe in a grueling final as “a success” for the MGM initiative.
According to MGM, the 2024 event “was a huge success and one of our most entertaining sporting events of the year.”
Ruud is also fascinated by Vegas and wants to experience the Sphere. “I would love to see it from […] outside and inside. It just looks incredible.”