Great serves off the court too

Champagne and Wagyu beef burgers were on the menu. Photo / Photosport

Only the best fare would do for the crowds at the tennis open

It wasn't just tennis balls being served up at The NZ Festival of Tennis.

Over the past two weeks, it was a case of game, set and down the hatch as spectators, players and celebrities feasted on top-notch food and drink at the ASB Classic and Heineken Open.

SkyCity had outlets set up at Auckland's ASB Tennis Arena from its flagship restaurants including The Grill and Masu.

During the fortnight of sizzling sunshine and sport, punters devoured 4500 Wagyu beef burgers, 1800kg of short ribs, 500kg of duck-fat chips, 4000 gyoza dumplings and 9000 icecreams.

It was thirsty work keeping up with the on-court action too. Heineken shifted more than 500 glasses a day of on-tap Extra Cold beer, at $8.50 a pop.

And at the swanky Moet tent, fans guzzled more than 1000 glasses of its $25-a-flute Rose Champagne.

Rai Branbury, senior brand manager at Moet Hennessy, said punters enjoyed rubbing shoulders with celebrities such as rugby stars Dan Carter and Sonny Bill Williams, and TV hosts Toni Street and Rawdon Christie.

"We were jam packed the whole time," Branbury said. "Rose was our most popular drink as it went perfectly with the tennis and complemented our Japanese food from Masu. Crab sliders proved the most popular dish."

Tournament director Karl Budge said the mix of high-end food and drink had gone down well.

"Our fans at the gate are clearly not pie and chip eaters any longer, so why sell them that kind of stuff? A large percentage now want a great day out of champagne, good food, music and fashion as well as being here to watch the tennis."

Czech player Jiri Vesely yesterday won the Heineken Open, beating Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-3 6-2 in a one-sided final. He became the first qualifier to win the Auckland event since Danny Saltz in 1984.