New York | Navarro & Alcaraz won The Garden Cup at Madison Square Garden

Emma Navarro from New York City and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain were victorious against Jessica Pegula & Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday in front of a sellout crowd, in front of which the 2022 US Open champion held court as their opponent. I want people to enjoy watching tennis. “My goal on the court is simply to put forth my best performance; to play great shots and points. Playing against Ben makes this task even simpler; his game is truly remarkable!” Carlos AlcarazWahrend competing for the Garden Cup at one of the World’s premier arenas, Navarro defeated Pegula, who recently reached the US Open final across the river in Queens, 7-6 7-5, in an exhibition match for singles play – opening singles exhibition match number one of this Garden Cup tournament. “Coming home brings back so many wonderful memories and emotions,” commented Pegula upon returning to New York’s five boroughs. She continued, saying that playing tennis at The Garden had been “incredibly fulfilling”. It truly felt incredible! Pegula often used Alcaraz’s drop-shot against Navarro; however, his Buffalo native wasn’t nearly as effective at using this deceptively delicate tactic.” “I tried channeling Carlitos, and it’s not working,” Pegula reported to Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj after losing the opening set against Navarro despite looking favored at first glance. She concluded her remarks by noting how amazing it felt playing at this arena; afterward she stated it as something quite amazing: It is absolutely unimaginable.” “Just so special to play here – unbelievable experience” is all Navarro could say before leaving her post-match statement of appreciation: Yesterday we came to see the Knicks play; now there’s even a tennis court! Shelton spoke passionately of upcoming match that “is going to sting, no sleep tonight after this,” while flashing his signature smile. “That was fun; I hope all of you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did out here! He may have won, but my shot won the match!” “Navarro and Alcaraz took home the Garden Cup after entertaining more than 19,000 fans to three hours of amazing shot making and entertainment, including Alcaraz’s plea to make people enjoy watching tennis as part of his victory speech.” “My goal on the court is always to bring out my best performance; when playing against Ben it becomes even easier because his game is amazing! Emma Navarro, Ben Shelton, Jessica Pegula and Carlos Alcaraz pose together after playing exhibition matches at MSG (c/ Al Bello/ Getty Images). Prior to the event Shelton stated “there’s definitely some anxiety when playing at such an iconic location like The Garden. It takes quite an extraordinary level of nerves.” Playing before large crowds and stadiums has long been my goal and dream; playing my best when there’s an immense stadium full of people is something I look forward to immensely. Pegula, who is beloved among fans and has become the top American on the WTA Tour, provided her thoughts about why this venue holds significance to her. “This place is iconic; not many can claim they have played here, particularly for tennis matches – perhaps more likely if one were performing or something,” Pegula stated. “To be able to say, ‘Oh, I played a tennis match against another American at MSG in New York City is truly inspiring and unforgettable – something which you will remember for a lifetime.” That makes the experience all the more wonderful! So that was really neat.” “On Wednesday evening at Madison Square Garden’s Garden Cup exhibition featuring reported $1million prize pool money was the return of tennis to Madison Square Garden since 2018’s Tie-Break-Tens tournament featuring Serena and Venus Williams as they headlined Tie Break Tens tournamentMSG”.