On September 17 the traditional gala dinner for the participants of the international tennis tournament ATP 250 St. Petersburg Open 2018 was held at the five-star Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg located near the Mariinsky Palace on St. Isaac's Square in the historical centre of St. Petersburg. The event was organized at The Lounge, main restaurant of the hotel, MC of the party – artistic Alexander Belov.

Photo gallery of the international tennis tournament ATP St. Petersburg Open 2018 players' party at the Lotte Hotel St. Petersburg 

Oksana Bondareva, soloist of the Mikhailovsky Theatre, opened the show. After her amazing performance Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom board of directors and director general of St. Petersburg Opеn, together with the tournament officials addressed its participants and guests.

Vice-governor of St. Petersburg Vladimir Kirillov warmly greeted guests of the evening and wished good luck to all participants of the tournament. He was followed by Thomas Karlberg, ATP Supervisor, who confessed that he had wanted to come to the tournament in St. Petersburg a while ago having heard so much positive feedback from the players. “They like the tournament and this party, that’s why many of them keep coming here,” Thomas Karlberg said.

After that Thomas Karlberg invited on stage Mikhail Youzhny, the participant of the tournament, who decided to retire from professional tennis this year. A little later the guests of the gala dinner watched a short film featuring career highlights of the holder of 19 ATP titles, including some cuts from the famous Davis Cup finals France vs. Russia, when Mikhail won the 5th winning point for his team.

Mikhail thanked Mr. Karlberg and the audience for such warm words about him and for the high appreciation of his achievements in tennis, and then Mikhail’s permanent coach Boris Sobkin joined his charge on stage.