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WILMINGTON – Basketball is usually the sport of choice at UNC Wilmington's Trask Coliseum but tennis took center court Sunday. One of the Azalea Festival's final events was its first tennis challenge.

Big time tennis matches don't usually happen in Wilmington, but Sunday tennis great John McEnroe says the fans in the city make it a good place for the sport.

"Hearing about this match taking place here. How much they like their tennis and play it and get behind it, because where I come from it's taken a back seat," said McEnroe.

McEnroe and Todd Martin came to the Port City to play in the first Azalea Festival Tennis Challenge. Martin says it's been a great experience.

"For me, the best thing about it is we get to see a community like Wilmington really do great things with tennis to and use tennis to benefit the community." said Martin.

The funds raised from the match will be used to improve the Althea Gibson Tennis Center in Wilmington. Gibson was an African-American who is credited with breaking the color barrier in professional tennis.

"She's a pioneer in our sport and I'm trying to do the same thing in New York,” said McEnroe. “It's nice to see a place that really enjoys their tennis."

It's been more than 15 years since Wilmington hosted a top level event like the Azalea Festival Tennis Challenge and fans hope it doesn't take that long for top level tennis to come back to the area.

"It's the first time I've ever witnessed a tennis match here,” said tenner fan Kenner Stierwalt. “I've always had to travel somewhere else.”

The thought of having big name tennis players play in Wilmington every year is exciting for Hoggard High School tennis player William Kent.

"That would be a tradition everyone would enjoy every year, every Azalea Festival,” said Kent.

With the first tennis challenge in the books, the fans say the match is a great way to cap an Azalea Festival weekend.

Before the match, McEnroe and Martin held a youth clinic at the Althea Gibson Tennis Center at Empie Park in Wilmington.