By: Felicia Jordan
MASON, Ohio — Greater Cincinnati’s major tennis tournament will bear a new name as it begins its 125th year, according to an announcement by Beemok Capital, the tournament’s new owner.
Gone is the Western & Southern Open. Instead, the same tournament will go by a new name that’s not so new: the Cincinnati Open.
“Returning to Cincinnati Open as the tournament’s name is an opportunity for us to celebrate its rich history at a time when we are also focused on a bold future and taking every possible step to grow and enhance the event,” said Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment, in a press release.
The announcement of what exactly the tournament will be called was released on Jan. 8, but the fact that the tournament would undergo a name change was announced in October, when Western & Southern said it would step down as the tournament’s title sponsor as part of a deal that kept the Western & Southern Open from relocating to Charlotte.
“Those will go for much higher numbers to somebody else, probably not in the region,” Barrett said. “I was just worried about keeping the tournament. So we made it very apparent that we would step back. We would cede the name to the tournament, just to be sure it stayed here.”
When the tournament was first held in 1899, it was called the Cincinnati Open for the first two years; but then, it wasn’t held in Mason but at the Avondale Athletic Club — where Xavier University stands today.
In 2002, it was renamed the Western & Southern Open and that name held steady for over 20 years, until Beemok Capital purchased it. Western & Southern has been a tournament sponsor since 2001, making it one of the longest-active partnerships in tennis.
Beemok announced in October that it would keep the prestigious tournament in Mason after state and local governments promised $130 million in public funding for a $260 million expansion of the Lindner Family Tennis Center near Kings Island.
It’s unclear whether Beemok intends to keep the tournament’s new name, or if it’s merely temporary until naming rights partners are secured in the future, but Moran said the company is proud of the new name.
“This tournament is known for its unparalleled access to the world’s best tennis players, Midwestern hospitality and passionate and loyal fans,” said Moran. “The tournament is distinctive in that regard, and we’re proud to call it the Cincinnati Open.”
Because the tournament is an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event, it’s already one of the world’s nine biggest tournaments where both men and women compete at the same time. But in 2025, it will expand from nine to 12 days with 96 players instead of the 56 now in its single-player draw.
The now-titled Cincinnati Open will hold its 2024 tournament August 11 through August 19.
Reposted with permission from WCPO 9 Cincinnati.