Editorial: Professional tennis, anyone?

Monday, Feb. 19, 2007 | 7:28 a.m.

Las Vegas may not have an NBA team - yet - but from Sunday through March 4 it will be host to the Tennis Channel Open, an event that ranks right up there with pro basketball for its thousands of fans here and millions of fans worldwide.

This will be the second Tennis Channel Open held in Las Vegas. Last year's debut tournament was a success not only for its main attraction, the big-name pro players, but also for its side events, such as a championship air hockey tournament.

Before it came here, the tournament was played in Scottsdale, Ariz., attracting such champions as Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe.

The city of Las Vegas played a big role in the return of pro tennis here. In the mid-1990s it began planning the 110-acre Washington Buffalo Park. One of the park's main features, the Stacy and Amanda Darling Memorial Tennis Center, opened in September 2005.

Built to pro standards, the center perfectly met the demands of the Tennis Channel, which obviously had fans in mind when it moved its tournament here. The Darling Tennis Center is just the right size - big enough to attract top-ranked players but small enough to provide fans with a cozy setting where all the attractions are easily accessible.

Returning to the tournament this year are James Blake and Lleyton Hewitt, who battled for three sets in the final last year before Blake pulled out an upset win. Also included among the stars scheduled to appear are former World No. 1 Marat Safin, of Russia; the world's doubles champions, Americans Bob and Mike Brian; Paradorn Srichaphan, of Thailand; Nicolas Kiefer, of Germany, and Benjamin Becker, also of Germany, who ended Andre Agassi's run (and career) at last year's U.S. Open.

Las Vegas is fortunate to have an annual sporting event of this quality.