Lotte New York Palace Hosts The Palace Invitational Pickleball Tournament

Tennis superstars Carlos Alcaraz, Venus Williams, Holger Rune and more participate in a spirited competition before the US Open

NYC has come to life with tennis-tangential activities in advance of the 2023 US Open. From official automotive partner Cadillac‘s Celestiq activation at Zero Bond with American tennis star Frances Tiafoe to a new signature cocktail from Maestro Dobel (the marquee event’s first-ever tequila partner) dubbed the Ace Paloma, the fervor for all things US Open extends far beyond Queens’ USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. After a multi-year hiatus, Lotte New York Palace‘s The Palace Invitational returned for a sixth iteration last week—with one fashionable update. While previous years found some of the world’s biggest tennis stars battling it out on a pop-up badminton court, this year saw seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams, reigning Wimbledon and US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz, three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur, as well as tennis stars Holger Rune, Tommy Paul and Andrey Rublev compete at pickleball.

Hosted in partnership with the Miami Pickleball Club (and their superb players Matt Manasse and Hurricane Tyra Black), the pickleball court occupied the storied hotel’s ballroom. Guests dined on tennis-themed bites from Lotte New York Palace’s executive chef Cedric Tovar and sipped Chateau D’Esclans’ Whispering Angel. Remarkably, Rune and Black tied Rublev and Manasse in match one; Alcaraz and Williams also tied Jabeur and Paul in match two. It was a festive conclusion to an extraordinary event amidst a week of so many.