Taste of Tennis celebrates 20th anniversary in NYC

Chef Richard Blais hosted a new segment on the stage, pitting Venus and Serena Williams against each other in live cook-off.

"For me as a fan of sport in general, and tennis, being able to hang out and mingle with some of the world's greatest tennis players, keeps me coming back," Blais said.

The star guests included...

Power tennis couple Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina:

"Good vibes," Monfils said about why he keeps coming back. "First of all the city is great, people are amazing, always a big celebration and we have cool dudes like Daniil Medvedev."

World No. 23 Donna Vekic:

Teen sensation Cori "Coco" Gauff and chef Masaharu Morimoto:

"Honestly, it's so cool," Gauf said. "It's definitely not what I was expecting, it's definitely a lot better. I think it's my first or second time walking a carpet so I was super nervous, but it turned out a lot better than thought."

Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig:

Citi Taste of Tennis celebrated its 20th anniversary on Thursday—just ahead of the US Open. Held at Cipriani in Midtown Manhattan, co-founder mother-daughter duo Penny and Judy Lerner celebrated with a few of their closest celebrity chef and pro friends.

"I think I've been here for about 15 of them," 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick said. "It's amazing to see how it's grown. The enthusiasm around it is great."

Fast-rising Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime:

"To be able to connect the tennis, the fans and the food at the same time is a good combo," Auger-Aliassime said.

Chef Richard Blais hosted a new segment on the stage, pitting Venus and Serena Williams against each other in live cook-off.

"For me as a fan of sport in general, and tennis, being able to hang out and mingle with some of the world's greatest tennis players, keeps me coming back," Blais said.

The star guests included...

Power tennis couple Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina:

"Good vibes," Monfils said about why he keeps coming back. "First of all the city is great, people are amazing, always a big celebration and we have cool dudes like Daniil Medvedev."

Doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her Lucky in Love crew:

World No. 23 Donna Vekic:

World No. 45 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Mike Tyson:

Teen sensation Cori "Coco" Gauff and chef Masaharu Morimoto:

"Honestly, it's so cool," Gauf said. "It's definitely not what I was expecting, it's definitely a lot better. I think it's my first or second time walking a carpet so I was super nervous, but it turned out a lot better than thought."

New Top-20 American talent SofaKenin:

Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig:

Citi Taste of Tennis has become a staple must-go-to event at four stops on the tour: Miami, Indian Wells, Washington and New York.

Fast-rising Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime:

"To be able to connect the tennis, the fans and the food at the same time is a good combo," Auger-Aliassime said.

Wake up every morning with Tennis Channel Live at the US Open starting at 8 a.m. ET. For three hours leading up to the start of play, Tennis Channel's team will break down upcoming matches, review tournament storylines, breaking news and player developments.

Tennis Channel's encore, all-night match coverage will begin every evening at 11 p.m. ET, with the exception of earlier starts on Saturday and Sunday of championship weekend.

Doubles champion Bethanie Mattek-Sands and her Lucky in Love crew:

World No. 45 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Mike Tyson:

New Top-20 American talent SofaKenin:

Citi Taste of Tennis has become a staple must-go-to event at four stops on the tour: Miami, Indian Wells, Washington and New York.

Wake up every morning with Tennis Channel Live at the US Open starting at 8 a.m. ET. For three hours leading up to the start of play, Tennis Channel's team will break down upcoming matches, review tournament storylines, breaking news and player developments.

Tennis Channel's encore, all-night match coverage will begin every evening at 11 p.m. ET, with the exception of earlier starts on Saturday and Sunday of championship weekend.