Atlantic Ave Magazine April 2024

DELRAY BEACH OPEN
Smashes Attendance Records,
Crowns Back-to-Back Champion
and Serves Up More of Everything!
BY LAUREN AZAR | PHOTOS COURTESY OF DELRAY BEACH OPEN
The Delray Beach Open (www.DelrayBeachOpen.com)
continues to top itself every year, fully establishing itself not
only as a world-class tennis tournament, but also as one of the
most prestigious and unparalleled social events of the year.
Celebrating its 32nd year and 26th in Delray Beach, the 2024
Delray Beach Open smashed its own attendance records,
hosted more sold-out VIP events than ever and saw its first
back-to-back champion in nearly 30 years. The 10-day event, which
was held Feb. 9-18, 2024 at the Delray Beach Stadium & Tennis
Center on Atlantic Avenue in downtown Delray Beach, Florida, is
the world’s only combined ATP Champions Tour Legends and ATP
250 Tour event peppered with fabulous parties, special recognition
days, clinics, and exclusive events that make its annual appearance
a cultural phenomenon.
The total attendance for the Delray Beach Open this year was an
all-time record 65,000+ with a crowd comprised of local residents
and visitors from across the globe that easily broke 2023’s record
of just over 63,000. ATP players at the tournament represented
twenty-three countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, China,
Denmark, France, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Portugal,
Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, and Venezuela.
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Defending champion Taylor Fritz dominated the court, defeating
Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-3 to become only the second player to win
back-to-back championships in the 32 years of the tournament.
Last year, Taylor Fritz became the first current Top 10 player to win
the DBO title and did it again this year. With Taylor Fritz at No. 9 in
the world and Tommy Paul at No. 14, it was also the highest-ranked
final in tournament history. This year also marked the first time in
tournament history that all four singles semifinalists were American,
and the fourth time for an all-American final.
On the doubles side of the draw, the third-seeded team of Julian
Cash of Great Britain and American Robert Galloway captured their
first ATP Tour title together and individually by stunning top seeds
Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. In
his trophy acceptance speech, Cash said that he was inspired by
countryman Skupski to play doubles. Galloway is the first American
doubles champion in Delray Beach since the Bryan brothers won
their final career title in the 2020 tournament.
The Delray Beach Open is also known for its generosity in the
community, and this year’s tournament hosted clinics for partners
Love Serving Autism and ACEing Autism. Opening weekend also
saw the return of USTA Florida Kids Day.
The 2024 Delray Beach Open promised more of everything –
more tennis, more parties, more fun – and it certainly did not disappoint.
Off the court, there was more to do, see, eat, drink, watch and
celebrate than ever, including more special events, an expanded
hospitality area, and additional food and drink options. Over thirtyfive
local restaurants participated, and sold-out parties presented
attendees with an array of entertainment options off the court, including
two new events, “Burgers, Bourbon and Brew” and a Championship
Weekend Brunch.
Kicking off the week was the tournament’s 16th Annual Chamber
Bash & Box Series Holders’ Reception, presented by Baptist Health
and sponsored by BlueIvy Communications and Carlton Fields, which
welcomed members of Delray Beach and Boca Raton Chambers of
Commerce and the tournament’s series box holders to a fun evening
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