Big-name tennis stars will play in Uptown this fall

What to expect: Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens will play a doubleheader at Spectrum Center on the evening of Dec. 6.

Flashback: Last year, Charlotte lost out on landing the Western and Southern Open and building a $400 million tennis complex at the River District.

• When the tournament opted to stay in Cincinnati, Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF) executive director Danny Morrison began conversations with Eric Grand of CLT Sports Ventures about creating a tennis event in Charlotte.
• "It was obvious that Charlotte has a lot of interest in tennis," Morrison tells Axios.
• Grand, a former NBA executive who lives in Charlotte, connected CSF with IMG's head of tennis clients, Max Eisenbud.

Context: CSF for years has been putting on marquee college sports events in Charlotte, including the Duke's Mayo Classic and Bowl, Jumpan Invitational and Ally Tipoff.

• CSF has added at least one event a year since 2022. This year they've expanded into running with the Meck Mile.

The big picture: The first weekend in December will be a sports spectacle in Charlotte, with the Charlotte Invitational on Friday, Dec. 6, and the ACC championship football game the following day.

What's next: The Charlotte Invitational's time has not been set, and a title sponsor will be announced later.

• Tickets will go on sale in mid-July.
• Whether or not this becomes a recurring event is TBD.

Fun fact: This won't be the first time the Uptown arena hosts big names in pro tennis. Serena Williams and Venus Williams played there in 2006.