At 125, Cincinnati Open Has More Partners, Prize Money As It Eyes Major Facelift

By Barry Janoff

August 10, 2024: The 125-year-year old Cincinnati Open is getting ready for a facelift.

The ATP Tour Masters 1000 and Hologic WTA Tour 1000 event Aug. 13-19 (Tennis Channel) — which dates back to 1899 — is planing a momentous change when the location at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, OH, gets an extensive $260 million on-site rebuild as the event itself expands to two weeks and 96 singles players (up from the current 56).

“We are ushering in a new era at the Cincinnati Open, and the complete transformation of our campus will create an unparalleled experience for our fans and players,” Bob Moran, Cincinnati Open tournament director and president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment — a division of Beemok Capital, which acquired the tournament from the U.S. Tennis Assn. in 2022 — said via the group.

“Our goal is to provide a best-in-class experience to everyone who touches the Cincinnati Open, and these projects, which are made possible through partnerships with the City of Mason, Warren County and the State of Ohio, are the foundation upon which we will build the next chapters of this storied event’s history.”

It has been played in the Mason Lindner Family Tennis Center since 1979.

With expansion to 12 days, the Cincinnati Open will join six other extended combined events on the WTA and ATP Tours: BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells, Miami Open, Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d’Italia and the National Bank Open (also extending its schedule in 2025).

Organizers said Cincinnati Open will have more than two dozen partners, led by six companies as cornerstone partners: Western & Southern Financial Group, Credit One Bank, Great American Insurance Group, Procter & Gamble, Fifth Third and Kroger.

New sponsors in 2024 include include Betway, Cadillac, Holcim and SAP.

Emirates, Rolex, Hologic, FILA, Cintas, TriHealth, Cincinnati Children’s, Prasco, JobsOhio and GreenSet are among those that will continue their sponsorships.

Food and drink partners include Veroni, La Crema Wine, Maestro Dobel Tequila, Moet & Chandon Champagne, G&J Pepsi and Sonder Brewing.

“We are grateful for all of our partners’ support, especially our cornerstone partners who have played a pivotal role in keeping the tournament in Cincinnati and supporting our vision for the event’s growth,” said Moran.

“These partnerships and the support of City of Mason, Warren County and State of Ohio exemplify true collaboration and have been essential in ushering in a new era at the Cincinnati Open. Together, we are creating an unparalleled experience for our fans and players.”

According to the Dayton Daily News, “The tourney is a key reason why Warren County tourism accounted for $1.7 billion in economic impact last year, a record for the county, a recent study found. Open organizers said it annually draws nearly 200,000 from 39 countries.”

Defending singles champions are Novak Djokovic, who has won it three times, and Coco Gauff.

During his career, Roger Federer won it a men’s record seven times.

The Cincinnati event said Djokovic, who just won the Olympic gold medal, has withdrawn from this year’s event. He also withdrew from the National Bank Open presented by Rogers ATP Master 1000, now concluding in Montreal.

Total ATP Tour prize money in 2024 is $6,795,555. Total prize money for the WTA tournament is $3,211,715.

The men’s winner will receive $1,049,460, up 2.96%.

The women’s winner will receive $523,485, up 13%.

In 2023, the total prize pool was was $6.6 million for ATP players and $2.8 million for WTA players.

The difference in prize money is due in part to the ATP Tour staging the event as a Masters 1000 and WTA as a non-Masters 1000, meaning the Top 44 ATP players are automatically entered while the Top 42 WTA players are invited but can choose whether or not to enter.

To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the Cincinnati Open has unveiled a special logo, commemorative poster and limited-edition merchandise available exclusively at the tournament. On-site, it will host current and former tennis legends, along with other dignitaries, to join in various events. 

“You only turn 125 once, and we absolutely intend to make the most of it,” said Moran.

“Over 125 years, you develop deep roots, and we’re proud of having that both here in Cincinnati and within the sport of tennis. The longevity of this tournament is a testament to our communities and will continue to be a tremendous asset as the Cincinnati Open enters a new era.”

Even with WTA 250 Tennis in the Land Cleveland (Aug. 18-24), WTA 500 Abierto GNP Seguros 2024 Monterrey, Mexico (Aug 19-24) and ATP 250 Wilson-Salem Open ATP (Aug. 18-24) next on the schedule, the Cincinnati Open is seen by players as the preview for the U.S. Open (Aug. 28-Sept. 8).

And the Cincinnati Open is supporting them.

According to organizers, among the renovations will be a new 56,000 square-foot two-story player center to include lounge and restaurant spaces for players and their support teams. It will also have wellness and recovery rooms for the players and locker rooms for coaches.

Current player facilities will provide additional locker room space and an expanded fitness center.

In October 2022 reports indicted that Beemok Capital, under the auspices of Ben Navarro (father of WTA player Emma Navarro), was considering relocating the tournament to a proposed $400 million tennis complex in its headquartered city of Charlotte, NC.

This past October, Beemok Capital unveiled its plan to keep the tournament at its current location for the next 25 years, along with the site-wide reboot.

The tournament was started in 1899 as the Cincinnati Open and was renamed in 1901 to Tri-State Tennis Tournament thru 1969.

It became the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open in 2002 and the Western & Southern Open from 2011 thru last year.

Cincinnati Open ATP Top Eight seeds:

1. Jannik Sinner

2. Carlos Alcaraz

3. Alexander Zverev

4. Daniil Medvedev

5. Hubert Hurkacz

6. Andrey Rublev

7. Casper Rudd

8. Grigor Dimitrov

See full MEN’S DRAW here.

Cincinnati Open WTA Top Eight seeds:

1. Iga Swiatek

2. Coco Gauff

3. Aryna Sabalenka

4. Elena Rybakina

5. Jasmine Paolini

6. Jessica Pegula

7. Zheng Qinwen

8. Danielle Collins

See full WOMEN’S DRAW here.

Photos: Cincinnati Open

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