Mason Renaissance: Reviving the Cincinnati Open, an American Classic

Through most of its new-millennium history, the Cincinnati Masters 1000 (fka, the Western & Southern Open) has been valued, viewed, and even promoted as the most significant of the US Open tune-up tournaments, a precursor to the Big Show. Emboldened by new ownership and a massive renovation, “Cincy” is stepping away from that restrictive role.

“When this [event] was owned by the USTA, this was really marketed as a lead-off into the US Open,” Bob Moran, Cincy’s longtime tournament director, told me. “But we shifted our marketing plans last year. It is all about Cincinnati. It is all about the event coming (staying) here. And I don't say this in a negative way, but it isn’t a stepping stone to the US Open.”

In other words, the Cincinnati Open—the longest-running U.S. tournament held in the same location—is striving to develop an identity as a stand-alone mega-event, perhaps most comparable to the Indian Wells Masters 1000, while implicitly continuing as the key US Open tune-up event. The tournament has both the player support and promotional muscle to make that happen.

Barring unexpected withdrawals, all of the top men will compete in the event (the tournament begins on Sunday), led by both of the ATP’s 2024 major winners: world No. 1 and Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner and Channel Slam victor Carlos Alcaraz, who finished runner-up last year in Cincy. The women’s field is equally robust, with WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek positioned to avenge her loss to No. 2 Coco Gauff in last year’s semifinal.

And what a year that was for the Cincinnati Open.

The USTA, unwilling to invest in the tournament, sold the event to Charleston-based Beemok Capital (which also own the WTA’s Charleston Open) in 2022. Beemok decided to solicit bids to host the event—Charleston, S.C. was an unsurprising top contender—which would have resulted in ending Cincy’s distinction as a tennis institution. The world’s top tennis players have gathered in Cincinnati at this time of year to play the tournament for a whopping 125 years.

Tennis history is strewn with tournaments that have a short lifespan. It’s amazing when any tournament other than a Grand Slam can remain in the same place for 25 years, never mind 125. So the demise of Cincy seemed inevitable until a grass-roots rebellion by patrons of the tournament—including sponsors, influential ticket holders, and various civic and tourism industry leaders—took shape and resulted in a deal that will keep Cincy in Cincy for the next 25 years.

Jason Williams, a sports columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, chronicled the way Cincinnati came from behind to win the bid. He wrote, “Greater Cincinnati leaders found a way to work together. They checked their egos and fiefdom-building mentality. They had a plan. They didn’t give up in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. And look what happened.”

Beemok founder—and father of WTA pro Emma—Ben Navarro approved the plan to keep the tournament on home soil partly because it included a massive upgrade of the infrastructure. The renovations are well underway, and will most likely be completed by this time next year.

Over the course of time, the Cincinnati Masters became widely known for its distinctly midwestern vibe—a cross between a county fair and world-class sporting event. Fans and the best players in the world mingled on the shared walkways and alongside practice courts in a relaxed atmosphere. Although there is plenty of elbow room at the venue—officially, it’s called the Lindner Family Tennis Center—the word commonly used to describe the fan experience was “intimate.”

Moran, who is also president of Charleton Tennis LLC (another Beemok entity), told me that while the upgrades will be transformative—you can buy a lot with $260 million worth of improvements—retaining that intimacy while making improvements is a top priority.

Since the last edition of the tournament, all the seats in the stadium and grandstand have been replaced with more substantial ones, and the outside courts now also feature bucket seats with proper backs. The upper level of the stadium, home of the cheap seats, also has been renovated. Moran is especially proud of the fact that the pricing for the least expensive seat hasn’t changed.

If Cincinnati has a down side, it’s the often-blistering heat of the American heartland in August. It wouldn’t seem that providing shade is a terribly big ask, but the landscape, sprawling site, and large crowds—upwards of 200,000 representing all 50 states and many other nations—have been difficult obstacles to overcome.

When this [event] was owned by the USTA, this was really marketed as a lead-off into the US Open. But we shifted our marketing plans last year. It is all about Cincinnati. It is all about the event coming (staying) here. Bob Moran, Cincinnati Open tournament director

The more significant upgrades in the offing are designed to mitigate for the heat and lack of shade as well as crowding and the general lack of aesthetics that has kept Cincy from enjoying the same degree of eminence as Indian Wells or the Madrid or Rome Masters. Most native visitors have been content with the ambience and aesthetics of the site—Mason, Moran proudly notes, is within a one-day drive for 60% of the U.S. population. It’s been a little different for foreign players and fans.

That cohort often felt that Mason personified the truth in Gertrude Stein’s famous quip about Oakland, Ca.: “There is no there there.” The Mason area was sufficiently distant from Cincinnati to inspire jokes about corn fields or tipping cows. As far as diversions went, you could always go to the King’s Island amusement park and ride the roller coaster or the spinning tea cups until you blew your cookies, but that was about it.

For a long time, it was also nearly impossible to find dining to please the palate of a foodie - either on or off the site. In fact, it was hard to get even a decent meal near Mason after 9 p.m., unless you counted the open-all-night Waffle House close to the official player hotel. But the Mason area has grown and flourished, so it no longer seems the forlorn outpost of the past to so many.

Back when it looked like a move from Mason was inevitable, ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe told me, “Masters are in major cities. Madrid, Toronto, Paris. It was always a little weird that there was one in Mason, Ohio. So, yes, it’s been incredibly successful but. . . nothing lasts forever. As much as I love the tournament, I kind of get this [move to Charleston].”

McEnroe spoke too soon. No longer a stepping stone, no longer a bare bones Masters in a meadow, the Cincinnati Open has come roaring back. The next 125 years begins now.