CHENGDU, September 24, 2018 (Press Release)

American duo Taylor Fritz and Tennys Sandgren took some time off to celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival and indulge in some traditional food preparation. The players met with local officials and were introduced to the art of making tang yuen, a type of dessert dumpling, at the Yan Ting restaurant of the St. Regis Hotel Chengdu.

Guided by specialist chef Rodrigo Martinez Munoz, Fritz and Sandgren tried their hand at rolling colourful pastry and incorporating a variety of delicious fillings, such as custard, black sesame, sweet potato and matcha (green tea flavour). The duo, who admitted to being fans of Chinese food, then took part in a contest to see who could make the sweet dumplings faster.

“It was quite difficult making this specialty dessert dish, but really a lot of fun. Cooking is interesting but I don’t think I’m very good at it. Besides I travel a lot, so I usually just order take-out,” said Sandgren after the event.

“I don’t have much time to learn cooking but I think maybe I might be good at it. They said Tennys won but I really think it’s up for discussion,” added a smiling Fritz.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated in late September to early October, most notably in Asia. The date corresponds to the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar with a full moon at night, and special focus is placed upon spending time with family and giving thanks for good fortune.

There will be free admission to court 1 and 2 matches. Tickets for the Chengdu Open main draw center court matches through to the finals will range in price from RMB 30 to RMB 400.  The ticket sales are available through www.damai.cn or scan the QR code.