NEW YORK -- For a first-year tournament, the Tennis Channel Open scored high marks for its weeklong run at the Darling Center in Summerlin in March.

That's the opinion of the new people operating the 24-hour cable network, including the tournament's new director. The hope of officials is to build on what Steve Bellamy started and make the event a premier stop in the West.

"The key is getting as close to the mark the first time, and we hit the mark," said Ken Solomon, chairman and chief operating officer for The Tennis Channel. "Steve did a great job of getting things off the ground, and in no way do we want to rest on our laurels. Now we build. Now we grow."

To that end, Solomon recently hired David Egdes to run the Tennis Channel Open. Egdes had been involved in World Team Tennis and has developed strong contacts with players and agents throughout the world. His hope is to bring an even stronger field to next year's event, scheduled to run Feb. 26 through March 4.

"A really good foundation has been established," Egdes said, referencing Bellamy, who left after last year's tournament to pursue other business interests. "Hopefully, we can convince more players to make Las Vegas part of their plans."

The inaugural final saw American James Blake defeat Australia's Lleyton Hewitt. It was a strong finish to what began as a frustrating week.

Several players, including Andy Roddick of the United States and Tommy Haas of Germany, pulled out just before the start of play. Then when play began, a rush of chilly, blustery weather plagued the event, keeping down attendance.

Solomon said injury withdrawals and weather are two areas over which the tournament has no control. Weather always will be a concern unless the City of Las Vegas puts a roof over the stadium court at the Darling Center, which, Solomon conceded, isn't going to happen anytime soon.

"We feel very good about the way the field stands up," Solomon said. "It was unfortunate that Andy pulled out, but every tournament goes through that. It's part of life. But there's tremendous depth in men's tennis, and one of the things we have going for us is the fact we have a vehicle (The Tennis Channel) to help promote the players who are playing in the (tournament) before they get to Vegas so people can become familiar with them. That's something we intend to do."

Rather than waste time worrying about the weather, Egdes said he is devoting more time to other issues, such as making the tournament more comfortable for players and spectators.

"We can make the players' lounge more comfortable for them," he said. "We can provide better food and more restroom facilities for the spectators. We can make the access around the grounds easier and provide more information about what's taking place. And we will do those things."

The players who competed in the inaugural event didn't find much fault with it. They dealt with the weather and focused more on having a good time in Las Vegas.

"I wasn't there very long, but I enjoyed myself while I was there," said Robby Ginepri, who lost in the first round to Paul Goldstein. "It was fun playing at altitude (2,700 feet). We stayed at a great hotel (The Mirage). There's so much to do there.

"It's Vegas. You can't say no."

Goldstein reached the semifinals and got to hang around much longer. He said the players need to do their part to make the event successful.

"As players, we all have a vested interest in The Tennis Channel," Goldstein said. "It was a lot of fun last year. I thought they put on a very good tournament.

"You know what would make it better? If they want to float $1,000 chips to everyone, that would be nice."

Actually, the Tennis Channel Open will be sending more money the players' way. The purse will increase from $380,000 to $500,000, and there will be a round-robin format while also giving the higher seeds protection in the draws. So if someone like Hewitt lost his first match, he wouldn't be out. He would get a second chance to make it to the finals.

"I think that's big," Solomon said of the changes made by the ATP Tour. "Fans want to see the stars, and I thought the ATP did the right thing. We're excited about that."

The Tennis Channel recently won the broadcast rights to the French Open, and Solomon said having exclusivity to a Grand Slam event will elevate the credibility of the fledgling network.

"It will certainly boost our visibility," he said.

Solomon said there are no plans to raise ticket prices but there are going to be changes for the 2007 event.

"We'll tweak some things," he said. "We just brought (Egdes) on a week ago, so we're going to sit down with him and do some brainstorming.

"We have a very good staff that experienced last year. We'll see what worked and what didn't and try to build on the positives while eliminating the negatives.

"You learn in time that you can't do every single thing. What we'll do is make the overall experience significantly better."