Can pro tennis thrive in Charlotte?
Plus: Cruises from Charleston coming to an end; Reader question on I-485 bridge status; City makes progress on meeting minutes; More detailed airport noise map; NC/SC team bowl list; New UNCC coach
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Exhibition match draws 16,000 fans, sparking hopes among boosters for a lasting professional presence despite a major tournament bid setback
The No. 3 tennis player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz (left), played an exhibition match Friday at the Spectrum Center against Frances Tiafoe in front of 16,000 fans. Smaller pro tournaments and larger collegiate and amateur competitions could be the next steps toward building up tennis in Charlotte. (Photo courtesy of Charlotte Sports Foundation)
by Jon Goldberg
Friday night, four of the world’s best tennis players entertained a Spectrum Center crowd of more than 16,000 on a rare occasion — professional tennis in the Queen City.
The question is: Was this event just a one-off exhibition, or can pro tennis gain a more permanent foothold here, even after Charlotte lost out on a major tournament bid last year?
“It just demonstrates that Charlotte has a lot of support for world-class tennis in the community,” said Charlotte City Council member Malcolm Graham, who first moved to Charlotte in the early 1980s on a tennis scholarship at Johnson C. Smith University.
Graham sees smaller pro tournaments and larger collegiate and amateur competitions as possible next steps for Charlotte to become a major tennis city.
Decades ago, long before the Panthers or the Hornets, pro tennis was one of the biggest draws on the Charlotte sports scene. Olde Providence Racquet Club in south Charlotte hosted the NCNB Tennis Classic from the late 1960s through the late 1970s. Photos of Arthur Ashe, Chris Evert and other stars still line the club’s lobby.
A few ad hoc events and exhibitions featuring past-their-prime stars such as John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors pop up every few years, but pro tennis has largely been absent here, even as the city and the amateur tennis community have boomed.
Fast forward to last year, when Charlotte mobilized to woo the Western & Southern Open from Cincinnati. The tournament is significant, drawing nearly 200,000 fans annually and generating millions of dollars for the local economy.
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County committed $65M and $30M, respectively, to court the tournament to relocate here, with the state chipping in another $20M. The tournament stayed in Cincinnati, however, where it has been in one form or another since the late 1800s, after tournament owners secured $130M in public funding.
It would have been a substantial “get” for the region — a major international athletics stage and an estimated $400M project in the River District in west Charlotte with a new 14,000-seat stadium and new tennis and pickleball complex.
Former top-ranked player in the world Andy Roddick, who lives in Charlotte, said that the relocation of tournaments of the size and stature of the Cincinnati event are so uncommon and the benefits so momentous that state and local stakeholders should have pounced.
“The tennis conversation is going to have a lot of regret in North Carolina for a long time without the (Cincinnati tournament),” said Roddick in an interview last week. “I’m not going to be the person that tells you every tennis event is a ‘yes’. But this was a ‘yes,’ and you work backwards from there however you can.”
Graham and other local, state and other stakeholders are continuing the conversation, attempting to re-constitute a package to draw tennis events and build a facility here that can hold them — a tennis chicken-and-egg situation. Graham said that could include pursuing smaller professional tournaments, large collegiate, youth and adult amateur competitions and specialized professional events like the Laver Cup, whose format is not unlike golf’s Ryder Cup.
Friday night’s Charlotte Invitational piloted by the Charlotte Sports Foundation certainly felt big-time and offered a taste of what could be, even though it was a largely jocular exhibition with no real stakes for the players.
Fans packed uptown restaurants and bars before the event and streamed into nearby hotels afterward. Celebrities abounded — Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton, Panthers legend Steve Smith and two visiting Cleveland Cavaliers NBA players made on-court tennis-playing cameos, while Panthers legend/NFL broadcaster Greg Olsen and star Brooklyn Decker (along with husband Roddick) watched courtside.
The matches streamed on The Tennis Channel worldwide, giving Charlotte an international audience. U.S. third-ranked player Frances Tiafoe competed in a Hornets jersey, the most striking tennis attire in the arena since legend Connors played there in khaki pants in 2013.
The players — world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, world No. 21 Madison Keys and Tiafoe — laughed off the idea of adding additional events to the pro tour calendar. It’s already a grueling 11-month affair due to the large international fanbase and corresponding number of overseas tournaments. But picking off existing events from other markets is possible.
“Tennis players, we play in the same places every year, so going different places and playing in front of different people, it’s always great,” Alcaraz said.
Added Stephens: “Obviously, tennis is so big here that hopefully there will be more (professional) tennis here. I think getting it started with us is a good start for Charlotte.”
After nipping Alcaraz in a decisive tie-breaker, Tiafoe said in an-court interview to loud cheers, “I really wasn’t expecting you to pack this (venue) out. It’s incredible. I hope more and more tennis can get played here in Charlotte. Y’all love your tennis.”
Jon Goldberg can be reached at goldberg.jon@icloud.com
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It’s bon voyage to cruises out of Charleston after 14 years; final Carnival ship leaves at end of the month
The era of driving to Charleston to hop on a cruise ship is coming to an end.
For the last 14 years, Carnival Cruise Line has been running ships out of Charleston to the Bahamas and other Caribbean ports, making cruising an easy option for residents of North and South Carolina — as opposed to, say, flying or driving to south Florida, where most Caribbean cruises leave from.
But authorities in Charleston declined to renew Carnival’s contract. Some residents had complained about the crowds associated with the cruise ships, and officials preferred to redevelop the cruise terminal and its desirable waterfront location. Beginning in January, ships can still dock in Charleston for the day, but they can’t depart from there.
The Carnival Sunshine made regular departures from Charleston, S.C., but that ends at the end of the month. (Shutterstock photo)
The 3,000-passenger Carnival Sunshine, which runs four- and five-night itineraries out of Charleston to the Bahamas, has five sailings remaining. All appear to be sold out, except for one, which starts at $899 per person over Christmas.
The Sunshine will be redeployed to Norfolk, Va., beginning in February, the Charleston Post and Courier reported. —Tony Mecia
You Ask, We Answer: When will work resume on the Ballantyne Commons Parkway bridge over I-485 bridge in Ballantyne?
Welcome to You Ask, We Answer, the occasional Ledger feature where you, the reader, send us questions and we, the reporters, put our sleuthing skills to the test.
Today’s comes from Ledger member named Adam, who asks:
What's the status of the second half of the Ballantyne Commons Parkway bridge over I-485? It seems like the workers got it to the current state and haven’t touched it in a couple of months.
Thanks for the question, Adam. The bridge he’s talking about is on Ballantyne Commons Parkway near Tom Short Road, and it’s one that’s been puzzling drivers for months.
We posed Adam’s question to Jennifer Goodwin, a communications officer for N.C. Department of Transportation. In a reply last month, she wrote that the contractor should be returning to work around Thanksgiving and “finish the job in spring 2025.” She continued:
In terms of completing critical work on the project, the bridge has been superseded by work in other areas of the corridor, like on the mainline of I-485, for example. This bridge is just one piece in the larger project to improve 16 miles of I-485, including other improvements.
The additional width people see is to accommodate a future project, so the current traffic pattern on Ballantyne Commons Parkway will be affected minimally when work there is completed. We anticipate traffic will be in its final pattern in spring of 2025.
The stretch of I-485 below the Ballantyne Commons bridge is part of a project to add one express lane in each direction between I-77 and US-74.
There you have it! —Cristina Bolling
City makes minute progress: Only 7 months behind, down from a backlog of 2 years
For the last year plus, we’ve been calling attention to the fact that the city of Charlotte has fallen woefully behind on producing minutes of City Council meetings.
Maybe most people don’t care, but these are the written records that residents depend on to learn how their elected officials are voting, and what they are discussing. For most of 2023 and 2024, the city clerk’s office has been between a year-and-a-half and two years behind in producing these minutes — the worst record among local governments in the region — despite a staff of nine and a budget of $1.1M. It had blamed the delays on staffing shortages, the city told us last year, and had hoped to catch up through the use of outside contractors.
The long delays don’t run afoul of state law, because the city does make videos of the meetings available online, though videos are much harder to search than written records.
But we’re happy to share some good news: The City Council tonight is expected to approve a batch of 51 meeting minutes spanning from April 2023 to April 2024. That would put the city a mere 7 months behind — far from an exemplary record, but a big step forward for government transparency and accountability. Let’s hope the city keeps at it and can close the gap even more.
By the way, this isn’t a question of the media wanting records to further our own interests. It’s a question of how local governments that operate with our tax money are conducting business: Do they do it openly and transparently? Or do they do it largely in secret with a cynical indifference toward the right of their residents to know what’s up? (Ditto for production of public records, which incidentally was a topic of discussion last week on WFAE’s “Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins.”)
Personally, we think it should be possible for one focused person using commercially available artificial intelligence tools to draft passable meeting minutes in a day or less. We might put that theory to the test in a future experiment. (Or develop a meeting minute creation service as a side hustle?) —Tony Mecia
Related Ledger articles:
“The city of Charlotte has not published minutes of City Council meetings for 17 months” (Aug. 18, 2023)
“City falls 2 years behind on council minutes” (June 24)
Airport releases a more detailed map of possible new flight paths
After some City Council members last week sought more information about possible new flight paths of airplanes taking off from Charlotte’s airport, city officials released a more detailed map showing which parts of town might experience more airplane noise. The existing takeoff paths are in purple and the proposed ones are in blue. The suggestions are preliminary and must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration as part of an aircraft noise reduction program. According to the new map, some of the new takeoff paths include airspace over Tyvola Road, Woodlawn Road and Selwyn Road areas in south Charlotte, the I-85 corridor north of uptown and the I-77 corridor south of I-485. The City Council is scheduled to vote on the plan tonight. WSOC’s Joe Bruno, discussing the older map on Friday’s “Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins,” described its appearance as “a 1970s art painting.”
Last call for pro-Charlotte, pro-neighborhood stocking stuffers from the Charlotte Ledger Merch Store
Tomorrow is your last chance to order from The Charlotte Ledger Merch Store in time for Christmas delivery!
Don’t miss the opportunity to grab stylish, comfortable and uniquely Charlotte gifts. From neighborhood pride t-shirts to cozy retro hoodies, our collection is perfect for anyone who loves the Queen City. These aren’t just clothes—they’re a statement of local pride, making them thoughtful, memorable gifts that your loved ones will cherish.
Would you be surprised to learn that the best-seller since we opened the online merch store last week is our “Mint Hill Proud” T-shirt? We have “___ Proud” designs for two dozen other neighborhoods and towns in the Charlotte region (in 12 different colors) — is everyone else going to just let Mint Hill have all the fun?
You might be interested in these Charlotte events
Events submitted by readers to The Ledger’s events board:
TUESDAY: “Charlotte Area Chamber Holiday Drop In,” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse SouthPark, 6000 Fairview Road. Join the Charlotte Area Chamber of Commerce for a delightful afternoon featuring a delightful selection of appetizers from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to excite your palate and set the tone for a festive celebration. Let’s reconnect, share stories, and toast to a successful year in business together! Free; registration required.
DEC. 16: “Tosco Music Holiday Party.” 7:30-10:30 p.m., Knight Theater, 430 S. Tryon St. Celebrate the season with this local tradition that transforms Knight Theater into Charlotte’s living room for the holidays, gathering 1,200 friends & neighbors for holiday songs and singalongs with diverse acts & a variety of music styles! Fun for all ages! Cost: $22.50 - $56.50 with 10% discount for groups of 10+.
➡️ List your event on the Ledger events board.
In brief:
N.C. and S.C. college football teams learn postseason fate: Several college football teams were named to bowl games and playoff games on Sunday:
Clemson plays in the first round of the College Football Playoff at Texas on Dec. 21
UNC Chapel Hill plays UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl in Boston on Dec. 28
N.C. State plays East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., on Dec. 28
South Carolina plays Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 31
Duke plays Ole Miss in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., on Jan. 2
In addition, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte will feature Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech on Jan. 3.
New football coach for UNC Charlotte: UNC Charlotte announced it is hiring Ohio head football coach Tim Albin to lead the Charlotte 49ers as head coach. Albin’s teams had a 33-19 record in his four years at Ohio, including three 10-win seasons. (UNC Charlotte)
No Union County participation in drag shows: Union County commissioners passed a resolution prohibiting county staff from participating in their official capacities in events that have drag shows. The rule bans attendance at “any festival, parade or other similar community event” where there will be “male or female impersonators who provide entertainment that appeals to a prurient interest.” (Union County Weekly)
Death investigation: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police were investigating a death on the 300 block of East Trade Street uptown following an “altercation” with security employees. (WBTV)
Loves me some internet: If Santa were on LinkedIn
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Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Staff writer: Lindsey Banks; Business manager: Brie Chrisman