TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 6, 2026--
As Canadians embrace lighter, refreshing tasting cocktails to elevate summer hosting, GREY GOOSE ® Vodka is introducing Le Melon Ace ™, a Canada-exclusive serve created in partnership with the National Bank Open presented by Rogers and named the tournament’s official cocktail. Available throughout this year’s tournament in Toronto and Montréal, the cocktail connects the energy of world-class tennis with the evolving rituals of summer entertaining.
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Inspired by iconic courtside moments and the social energy of tennis season, Le Melon Ace ™ blends GREY GOOSE ® Vodka with fresh watermelon juice, lime and mint, a flavour combination that captures peak summer refreshment. With watermelon continuing to rise in popularity across seasonal menus, the cocktail offers a vibrant, approachable serve designed for everything from match-day viewing to casual outdoor gatherings.
Le Melon Ace ™
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Beyond the court, Le Melon Ace ™ reflects a growing shift toward experience-led hosting and at-home entertaining. Whether served at backyard watch parties or during tournament viewing, the cocktail offers a simple yet elevated way for Canadians to recreate the feeling of the National Bank Open at home.
“The National Bank Open is one of the most iconic summer sporting events in Canada, and we’re thrilled to partner with Tennis Canada to introduce a signature GREY GOOSE ® Vodka cocktail experience made specifically for Canadian tennis fans,” said Aleco Azqueta, Vice President Global Marketing, GREY GOOSE ® Vodka. “Le Melon Ace ™ is inspired by the energy of tournament season and the flavours people are gravitating toward this summer — bright, fresh and perfect for entertaining. We see it becoming a go-to serve for watching matches, whether courtside or at home with friends.”
"In partnership with GREY GOOSE ® Vodka, we are proud to introduce the official cocktail of the 2026 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, Le Melon Ace ™,” said Rob Swann, Chief Commercial Officer at Tennis Canada. “From the outset, GREY GOOSE ® has been a great partner to collaborate with. We are excited for the elevated experience they will bring to our fans at both the Toronto and Montréal tournaments. This refreshing, signature cocktail will be a great way to cool down on a hot summer day, whether you’re watching your favourite player on site or making it in your own backyard. The National Bank Open is more than just a tennis tournament, it's the fuel of tennis in Canada and we are thrilled that through partnerships like this one with GREY GOOSE ®, we can provide world class experiences that unite fans across the country."
Le Melon Ace will be available at the National Bank Open in Toronto and Montréal, giving fans the chance to experience the official cocktail firsthand throughout the tournament.
About GREY GOOSE®Vodka
The GREY GOOSE ® portfolio is comprised of GREY GOOSE ® vodka, GREY GOOSE ® Berry Rouge, GREY GOOSE ® La Poire, GREY GOOSE ® L'Orange, and GREY GOOSE ® Le Citron Flavored vodkas.
About Tennis Canada
Founded in 1890, Tennis Canada is a non-profit, national sport association with a mission to lead the growth, development and promotion of tennis in Canada and a vision to be a world-leading tennis nation. We value teamwork, passion, integrity, innovation and excellence. Tennis Canada owns and operates the premier National Bank Open presented by Rogers WTA and ATP Tour events, four professional ATP and ITF sanctioned events and financially supports four other professional tournaments in Canada. Tennis Canada operates junior national training centres/programs in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Tennis Canada is a proud member of World Tennis, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and serves to administer, sponsor and select the teams for Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup, the Olympic and Paralympic Games and all wheelchair, junior and senior national teams. Tennis Canada invests its surplus into tennis development. For more information on Tennis Canada please visit our website at: www.tenniscanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook and Instagram.
GREY GOOSE® Vodka Serves Up Le Melon Ace, the Official Cocktail of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers
GREY GOOSE® Vodka Serves Up Le Melon Ace, the Official Cocktail of the National Bank Open presented by Rogers
A weeklong preliminary hearing for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is set to get underway on Monday. Prosecutors will aim to show that they have enough evidence against 23-year-old Tyler Robinson to proceed to a trial. The hearing marks the most significant presentation of evidence in the case so far. After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed.
Robinson is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk on the Utah Valley University campus last September. Kirk’s parents and his widow, Erika Kirk, will attend the hearing, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It is the first time Kirk’s family will be in the courtroom with the man accused of killing him.
Here's the latest:
Erika Kirk has arrived at the Utah courthouse for the preliminary hearing of the man accused of killing her husband, Charlie Kirk.
Three men escorted her into the building several minutes before the hearing was expected to begin.
Charlie Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, arrived separately.
Armed officers with binoculars are on the roof of the courthouse where Tyler Robinson faces a key hearing in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk.
More officers are on the ground outside the courthouse. A drone was also flying overhead. Robinson’s defense team arrived at Utah County court with a dolly to move boxes of documents.
The focus of the hearing is whether there’s enough evidence to send Robinson to trial and whether the death penalty will be an option if there’s a conviction.
Shelly Juber, who lives nearby in Orem, got one of the 14 courtroom seats set aside for the public.
“I’m a trial watcher, true-crime enthusiast. … My grandson’s girlfriend was there the day it happened,” she said, referring to Utah Valley University.
For Tyler Robinson to be found guilty at trial, prosecutors will have to prove without any reasonable doubt that he killed Kirk. But the criteria for this week’s preliminary hearing are less strict.
Mark Kouris, who was a prosecutor and state judge in Salt Lake City, says there’s a low threshold for prosecutors to show the case against Robinson should proceed to trial.
“Effectively, it’s 51% — there’s a 51% chance they did it,” Kouris, now an adjunct professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law, said in an interview. “This standard is extremely low, and the chances of them not getting through it are, quite frankly, almost nothing.”
Charlie Kirk’s family thanked supporters for their kindness and prayers ahead of Monday’s preliminary hearing.
“Every court proceeding serves as a painful reminder of his death,” Erika Kirk, his widow, said in a statement posted on X, “and the loss that has irrevocably impacted our lives and the lives of his children.”
She added that the public outpouring “has sustained us during the darkest days of our lives.”
The statement was posted on behalf of Kirk’s parents, Robert and Kathryn, his widow and his sister Mary.
“Out of respect for the judicial process, we will not be commenting further at this time,” the brief statement said.
Erika Kirk forgave defendant Tyler Robinson during her husband’s memorial service in September.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said as she struggled to hold back tears.
“I forgive him because it was what Christ did. It is what Charlie would do,” she added.
Her declaration was an outlier among prominent conservatives, including President Donald Trump, who said in September on Fox News that he hopes Robinson gets the death penalty.
Erika Kirk took the helm of Turning Point USA, the conservative youth movement that her husband co-founded, shortly after her husband’s death.
She is expected in court throughout the week with her husband’s parents, Robert and Kathryn Kirk, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
State District Judge Tony Graf said recently that prosecutors violated his restrictions on talking outside the courtroom when Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard told a media outlet his office had ample evidence to convict Tyler Robinson of killing Charlie Kirk.
Robinson’s lawyers argued the comments were intended to influence potential jurors. As a punishment, they wanted the judge to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty.
But Graf said that was too severe, and that Ballard's comments weren’t malicious.
The judge said any potential bias issues could be addressed by expanding the jury pool or more closely questioning potential jurors when the case goes to trial.
Starting with today’s hearing, the focus of the case shifts to whether there is enough evidence for a trial and whether the death penalty is warranted, said Paul Cassell, a University of Utah law professor and former federal judge.
Cassell said evidence made public to date in court filings suggests prosecutors have “an overwhelming case.”
“This seems like the proverbial slam dunk at this stage of the case, where the only issue is whether there is a sound basis for moving forward with a trial on the merits,” he said.
A death sentence is an option in Utah only when a crime has aggravating circumstances. Prosecutors will argue in Robinson’s case that Kirk’s shooting endangered others in attendance.
Authorities have said DNA consistent with Robinson’s was found on the trigger of the rifle used to kill Kirk, the fired cartridge casing, two unfired cartridges and a towel used to wrap the rifle.
Robinson’s parents had confronted him after authorities released a surveillance photo of the suspect and details about the rifle, authorities have said. His parents convinced him to meet with a family friend, a retired sheriff’s deputy who reportedly helped arrange for Robinson to turn himself in.
Prosecutors have said Robinson left a note for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.” They also said he wrote to his roommate in a text message about Kirk: “I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out.”
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully sought to block prosecutors from using recorded statements from Robinson’s roommate during the hearing. The defense wanted the roommate to testify in person so Robinson could exercise his right to challenge the credibility of witnesses against him. Graf said the time for challenging witnesses would come later.
The proceeding will resemble a mini-trial, with prosecutors planning to offer DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, testimony from investigators, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. They are not required to present all their evidence and can use secondhand information or hearsay.
After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed.
Prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors have to prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Charlie Kirk’s widow and parents are expected this week in a Utah court where prosecutors seeking the death penalty will argue that the man charged with killing the conservative activist should stand trial for murder.
The five-day preliminary hearing that starts today will be the first time members of Kirk’s family are in the Utah courtroom with defendant Tyler Robinson. The hearing will be livestreamed.
Robinson turned himself in after the shooting. Prosecutors allege that he also sent a text message confession to his partner and left a note saying he had an opportunity to kill one of the nation’s leading conservative voices, “and I’m going to take it.”
He has not entered a plea in the case, however.
Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, who was addressing a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University. His attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence.
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FILE - A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Turning Point USA headquarters, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)
FILE - Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Sept. 10, 2025. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP, File)
