Game, Set, Cheers! Tennis Aces and Hollywood Unite at Desert Smash Kickoff Dinner Party

Staff
By Staff
4 Min Read

If the Grand Slams had an after-party, it might just look like this. Under the balmy Coachella Valley sky, 80 guests—including a dazzling mix of tennis legends, Hollywood elite, and philanthropic power players—gathered at Zenyara, the jaw-dropping 70-acre private estate of real estate mogul Michael Scott. Inspired by the sleek serenity of Amanyara in Turks & Caicos, the estate was the perfect backdrop for an evening of cocktails, conversation, and charitable giving, all in support of the WTA Foundation’s Global Women’s Health Fund and UNICEF’s Child Nutrition Fund.

Desert Smash founder Ryan Macaulay joined Scott in hosting the evening, which set the tone for the 21st annual celebrity-packed tennis showdown. Among the attendees: Maria Sharapova, Andrey Rublev, Matteo Berrettini, and Alexander Zverev, who traded center court for center stage alongside Hollywood notables like P!nk, Lance Bass, and Boris and Nicole Kodjoe.

The evening commenced with an alfresco cocktail hour where guests sipped on Dobel 50 Cristalino Extra Añejo Tequila and WTA-inspired concoctions like the ‘Ace Paloma’ and ‘Marg-Aryna’—a clever nod to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who lent her mixology skills to the evening’s bespoke bar menu.

As conversations swirled, so did the fashion: Gavin Rossdale cut a striking figure in Giorgio Armani, while Lance Bass opted for head-to-toe John Varvatos. Matteo Berrettini, statuesque as ever, mingled in Hugo Boss, while twin tennis Hall-of-Famers-to-be Mike and Bob Bryan stayed perfectly in sync, twinning in seafoam-green athleisure.

Across Zenyara’s crystalline lagoons, Maria Sharapova shared why the night’s mission hit close to home. “I’ve been fortunate to have access to high-quality healthcare and nutrition throughout my career and into motherhood,” she reflected. “It’s unimaginable that so many women around the world go without these resources every day.”

Elsewhere, P!nk was seen reminiscing with Lance Bass and husband Michael Turchin about their early days in the music industry—back when she opened for *NSYNC—while Jon Lovitz, fresh from SNL’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, exchanged laughs with Rossdale near the Golden Goose bespoke shop, where guests customized their own Ballstar sneakers under the guidance of the brand’s ‘dream maker’ artisans.

And what’s a grand fête without a culinary spectacle? Enter world-renowned chef Enrique Olvera—the mastermind behind Mexico City’s Pujol—who crafted a four-course feast infused with local California ingredients and inspired by his culinary triumphs from Manhattan’s Cosme to LA’s Damian. The pièce de résistance? His legendary ‘Mole Madre,’ which had been cooking for precisely 3,641 days. Matteo Berrettini, for one, could hardly wait to dig in.

In a touching moment, P!nk—who has worked with UNICEF since her trip to Haiti—spoke to the urgency of the cause: “This is a solvable problem. UNICEF does the boots-on-the-ground work, and nights like this prove that we can make a real impact.”

With a threefold donation match in play, the evening raised nearly $1 million to support life-saving women’s health and nutrition initiatives. Among those making it happen: Golden Goose America CEO Silvia Merati, HexClad’s Danny Winer, SNL’s Cheri Oteri, and Olympic silver medalist Donna Vekic, who summed up the night best: “I just love coming back year after year for the cause.”

As the night drew to a close, it was clear: in a world where sport, style, and philanthropy collide, this was one for the history books.

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