Western & Southern Open Will Remain in Cincinnati

The Cincinnati 1000 tournament will remain in the Queen City.

Reigning Cincinnati champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff shared the good news in a video announcement on the official Western & Southern Open web site today.

Mason, Ohio will remain home to the tournament for at least the next quarter century extending one of the longest-running traditions in American tennis.

“Your wonderful tournament is staying in Cincinnati!” Djokovic said.

“And it’s going to be even bigger and better forever,” Gauff added.

The announcement ends a summer of speculation that the tournament would be sold and moved out of Cincinnati.

Instead, the Western & Southern Open will celebrate its 125th year in Cincinnati next August. In 2025, the tournament announced it will expand both the men’s and women’s events to two weeks.

Beemok Capital acquired the event from the USTA in 2022, and attracted a strong bid from Charlotte, N.C., which proposed to build a new site to host the tournament, potentially starting in 2026.

“The passion and commitment of this community to keep the tournament here was an undeniable factor in our decision to stay,” Beemok Capital Founder Ben Navarro said. “The city of Mason, Warren County, the state of Ohio and multiple corporate entities demonstrated their unwavering support for the tennis tournament. This tournament and its history are special. We’re excited to add to its legacy and create a world-class tennis experience for players and fans.”

Organizers have pledged a $200 million upgrade to the site in the coming years. Timing may well prove to be ideal with a talented group of young Americans, including champion Gauff, US Open semifinalist Ben Shelton, who defeated world No. 4 Jannik Sinner in Shanghai today, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and more leading the home charge.

That will provide players with a two-week tournament a couple of weeks before the US Open, though there is growing speculation the Flushing Meadows major will follow the Australian Open and Roland Garros and expand to 15 days.

Cincinnati has a storied tennis tradition with Hall of Fame great Tony Trabert, a Cincinnati native, making his mark at Walnut High School in Ohio. Trabert went on to star at the University of Cincinnati where he won the 1951 NCAA singles title and played guard for the Bearcats basketball team.

It was in Cincinnati where Trabert met a talented, young left-hander and encouraged him to stick to baseball. That young man was named Sandy Koufax, who grew into one of the great pitchers in Dodgers history.

Now that Cincinnati is secure, the focus turns to Indian Wells.