Tuesday, March 7, 2006 | 7:46 a.m.
The Las Vegas debut of the Tennis Channel Open was a success from every point of view, including its worldwide media coverage and support from spectators.
The quality of play, which concluded Sunday, was exceptional. James Blake, having recovered from a serious illness, became a crowd favorite right from the start and went on to win the singles championship over former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt. Fans got their money's worth from all of the matches on the court, as well as from the professional air-hockey and table-tennis events played on the grounds of the Stacy and Amanda Darling Memorial Tennis Center.
A few days before play began, Las Vegas Sun sports reporter Brian Hilderbrand interviewed Steve Bellamy, who founded the Tennis Channel and who also bought the tournament and brought it here from Scottsdale, Ariz. Bellamy said his plans are to build the Tennis Channel Open into "one of the neatest sporting events in the world - and I'm not exaggerating saying that, I'm really serious."
Given the success of this first tournament, we believe he is well on his way to fulfilling that dream. He wouldn't be having this vision, however, if it hadn't been for the city.
Ten years ago Las Vegas began planning, and budgeting for, the 110-acre park at Durango and Buffalo drives where the tennis center is located. The city has served an ace with this facility.
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