TheCincinnati Open is an annual professionaltennis event held inCincinnati, United States. It is played on outdoorhard courts at theLindner Family Tennis Center inMason, Ohio, and is held in August. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States still played in (or near) its original city.[1][2] It also is the third largest tennis event in the United States, after theUS Open and theIndian Wells Open. It is one of theATP Masters 1000 tournaments on theATP Tour, and one of theWTA 1000 tournaments on theWTA Tour.[3]
The tournament was started in 1899 as the Cincinnati Open and was renamed in 1901 to Tri-State Tennis Tournament, a name it would keep until 1969 (it would later be known by several other names, including ATP Championships),[4] and would eventually grow into the tournament now held inMason.[5] The original tournament was held at the Avondale Athletic Club, which sat on property that is nowXavier University, and would later be moved to various locations due to changes in tournament management and surfaces. The first tournament in 1899 was played onclay courts (described in a newspaper article of the time as "crushed brick dust"), and the event was mostly played on clay until 1979 when it switched to hardcourts.
In 1903, the tournament was moved to theCincinnati Tennis Club, where it was primarily held until 1972. In 1974, the tournament was nearly dropped from the tennis calendar but moved at the last moment to the Cincinnati Convention Center, where it was played indoors and, for the first time since 1919, without a women's draw. In 1975, the tournament moved to theConey Island amusement park on theOhio River, and the tournament began to gain momentum again.
In 1979 the tournament moved to Mason where a permanent stadium was built and the surface was changed from Har-Tru clay to hardcourt (DecoTurf II.). Later, two other permanent stadia were constructed, making Cincinnati the only tennis tournament outside the fourGrand Slam events with three stadium courts – Center Court, Grandstand Court and Court 3. A new Court 3 was built in 2010, increasing the number of stadium courts to four, with the existing Court 3 renamed Court 9. The women's competition was reinstated in 1988 for one year, and then again in 2004 when the organizers, with the help of theOctagon sports agency, bought theCroatian Bol Ladies Open and moved it to Cincinnati.
In 2002, the tournament was sponsored for the first time byWestern & Southern Financial Group, with the company continuing its sponsorship until at least 2016.[7] In 2011 the men's and women's tournaments were played in the same week, and the name changed from the "Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open" to the "Western & Southern Open".[4]
In 2022, the tournament was sold by the USTA toBen Navarro's Beemok Capital;[8] in 2023, the tournament proposed an additional $22.5 million in state funding to help cover a proposed $150 million expansion to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, which included plans for the Cincinnati Open to expand to a 12-day format with a 96-player draw (joining theIndian Wells Open,Madrid Open, andMiami Open) and add additional programming.[9] In May 2023, rumors emerged that Beemok was considering relocating the tournament to a proposed $400 million tennis complex inCharlotte, North Carolina. Beemok denied that relocation was being considered, stating, "We've had productive conversations with state and local representatives in Mason and the surrounding area and have made considerable efforts to develop a potential master plan to expand the event in its current location."[2] In June 2023, the city proposed a $15 million commitment and other economic incentives to keep the tournament in Mason, while State SenatorSteve Wilson proposed a $25 million contribution and a $1 billion "super-capital improvement fund" for a state budget proposal.[10]
In October 2023, Beemok announced that the tournament would remain in Mason and expand to a 12-day format for 2025, with both draws expanding from 56 to 96 players.[11][12] With the changes, Western & Southern exited its title sponsorship agreement, and the tournament returned to the "Cincinnati Open" name. The tournament also changed its sponsorship model to incorporate six "cornerstone" sponsors—including Western & Southern,Credit One Bank,Fifth Third Bank,Great American Insurance Group,Kroger, andProcter & Gamble—which would haveactivations and branding across the tournament.[13][14]
In 1975, the tournament reins were taken by Paul M. Flory, then an executive withProcter & Gamble. During his tenure, the tournament enriched its considerable heritage while donating millions of dollars to charity: toCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Tennis for City Youth (a program to teach tennis to inner-city children), and to The Charles M. Barrett Cancer Center at University Hospital. Flory was honored with the ATP'sArthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, enshrinement in the USTA/Midwest Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, and was named one of the Great Living Cincinnatians by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Flory began his involvement as a volunteer with the tournament in the late 1960s and remained a volunteer until the end, never accepting a salary. Flory, who was born on May 31, 1922, died on January 31, 2013, remaining tournament chairman until his final day.
The tournament is played at theLindner Family Tennis Center, located in theCincinnati suburb ofMason, Ohio. It features a total of 31 courts,[15] including five permanent stadiums – Center Court, Grandstand Court, Champions Court, Stadium 3, and Court 10. It is among a few venues (e.g. the Madrid Open) other than Grand Slams with more than two permanent stadiums.
Stadium
Constructed
Capacity
Center Court
1981
11,600
Grandstand Court
1995
5,000
Champions Court
2025
2,300
Stadium 3
2010
4,000
Court 10
1997
2,000
In 2009, the tennis tournament announced a $10 million upgrade to the facility, including the construction of a 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m2) West Building to add space for players, media and fans. The new building, which opened in mid-2010 and is named the Paul M. Flory Player Center, is approximately twice as high as the previous West Building, rising 85 feet (26 m) above ground level and 97 feet (30 m) above the court level.
In 2010, the tournament announced plans to expand the grounds by more than 40% and add six new courts. One of those courts is Court 3, which serves as the third television court, while another court has seating for 2,500. A new ticket office, entry plaza, food court and exhibit areas also were added.[16]
In June 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the tournament temporarily relocated to theBillie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City to reduce unnecessary player travel by centralizing the tournament and the U.S. Open at one venue.[17]
Because of intentional design choices for the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the Cincinnati Open is known as one of the more intimate environments for player-fan interaction. The layout of the facility promotes fan interaction as players walk from court to court among the fans, and the tournament publicizes player practice times on the numerous courts.
^The 1979 men's competition, despite being named the1979 ATP Championships was a non-Grand Prix event not bringing any ATP ranking points and was run as a rival event to the1979 U.S. Pro Tennis Championships in Boston.
^Known as Championship Series, Single Week from 1990 till 1995, Super 9 from 1996 till 1999 and Masters Series from 2000 till 2008.
Roger Federer has won the most Cincinnati Open titles, and out of eight finals, he possesses seven titles; his last being won in 2015, defeating future three-time championNovak Djokovic in the final. It was at this tournament, in 2018, that Djokovic became the first player to win theGolden Masters (winning all 9 ATP 1000 tournaments). Djokovic then completed this again in 2020 for the double Golden Masters.
Carlos Alcaraz
Iga Świątek
Nikola Mektić
Rajeev Ram
Gabriela Dabrowski
Erin Routliffe
Roger Federer
Novak Djokovic
Boris Becker
Jannik Sinner
