Tie Break Tens, a tournament showcasing a new short tennis format, is set to be hosted at City Walk’s Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on the evening of Oct. 22, 2021.
This is the region’s first tournament of the quick-fire tennis format, which will see some of the world’s finest players go head-to-head in a series of knock-out matches with a championship prize of AED 500,000 ($136,000) up for grabs.
Part of the international series that first took place in London’s Albert Hall in 2015, the Tie Break Tens tournament series, now in its seventh year, will feature French No. 1 player and winner of 10 ATP World Tour singles titles, Gaël Monfils, as well as this year’s winner of the Murray River Open in Melbourne, the British No. 1 Dan Evans. Further players will be announced over the coming weeks.
“This is such a great addition to the Dubai sporting calendar and we’re really excited to see some of the world’s best players come to showcase this exciting game,” Jimmy Poon, tournament director for Tie Break Tens Dubai, said. “Tennis fans will enjoy the game as they’ve not seen it before here and I’m confident the sport will attract some new fans as they enjoy this fast-paced evening of sporting fun — the energy and drama around these knock-outs is infectious to say the least.”
The exciting Tie Break Tens is the only officially recognized short form of traditional tennis. There are no games, sets or matches, just 10-point tiebreakers where eight players compete in a knock-out format with a winner-takes-all prize.
Spectators get to experience plenty of tennis action in a short period of time, where every point counts, over the course of just one evening. This year will commence with the Dubai men’s tournament (tickets are now on sale), with plans for women’s and junior tournaments also underway.
“Alongside the player lineup, we are also delighted to welcome title sponsor Zone, an online E-sports and cryptocurrency platform that will be launching in the region from October 2021,” Poon added. “We look forward to working together to make this event a landmark occasion on the international tournament series and showcasing Dubai.”
Adi K Mishra, founder and CEO of Zone, said: “The Zone game team is excited to partner with Tie Break Tens Dubai to bring revolutionary blockchain concepts to the world of fantasy sports and esports. We are looking forward to engaging with Tie Break Tens and some of the world’s leading tennis players to introduce our skills-based challenges, non-fungible tokens and rewards.”
Ahead of the tournament, Dubai Tie Break Tens has also announced a grassroots junior tournament to support young talent in the sport, with the finals of both the boys and girls under-18 games being played in the arena on the night of the main event.
Although there is no requirement to show proof of vaccination status or a negative PCR test result to gain entry to the Dubai Tie Break Tens event, in line with Dubai’s commitment to health and safety, the tournament at the Coca-Cola Arena will host spectators with a reduced capacity and all social distancing protocols and precautionary measures will be adhered to as per government regulations.
