MASON, Ohio (ENQUIRER) – Fans of this year’s Cincinnati Open can see the first of several improvements to the $260 million campus renovation of the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Cosmetic improvements, new fan and player areas and expanded hospitality offerings mark the first phase of the transformation led by South Carolina-based tournament owner Beemok Capital, but the biggest changes to the campus, including a new stadium and indoor play facility, will take place in 2025.
Groundbreaking for next year’s improvements could occur as early as Aug. 26, Jansen Dell, the tournament’s design and construction director, told our media partners at the Enquirer.
“As soon as this (tournament) is over, construction has to start,” reiterated Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports & Entertainment, which moved to Greater Cincinnati last May.
Beemok agreed to hold the Cincinnati Open in Mason rather than move the tournament to Charlotte, North Carolina, after officials from Mason, Warren County and Ohio bid $135 million to buy and renovate the stadium. Corporate sponsors from Cincinnati also backed the tournament, as did community support. Ticket packages sold out in just two and a half days this year, compared to two and a half months in 2023, Elizabeth Desrosiers, the tournament’s marketing and communications director, wrote in an email.
Here you can find out what’s new this year and what’s coming in 2025.
New and luxurious seating
Center Court is completely redesigned with new seating, including stadium seats instead of bleachers. The lower section seats have padded seats and the premium seating areas have extra padded seats. The premier box seats have been upgraded and now have seat cooling.
Most of the seats in the grandstand are also new, including padded seats in the lower section and suite seats along the north baseline.
The Oasis
Transforming the tennis campus into a year-round venue will provide more food and beverage options.
One of these new options will open this year: The Oasis. Part of the newly redesigned Top Deck in Center Court, The Oasis private lounge is available to ticket holders in sections 209-211 and offers an Italian-inspired menu and drinks.
Renovated Crosscourt Suites
The Crosscourt Suites, which overlook Center Court from the southwest corner, look different this year due to layout changes and interior renovations.
The Center Court suites were sold out this March for the first time in the tournament’s history, Desrosiers said.
New P&G Grandstand Suites
Attendance and ticket sales at the Cincinnati Open were comparable to other similar tournaments, Moran said, but “we lagged behind on the partnership side.”
Cincinnati companies Western & Southern, Proctor & Gamble, Great American Insurance Group, Fifth Third, Kroger and others will sponsor the 2024 event. P&G’s contribution includes the new P&G Grandstand Suites, the first hospitality offerings at the stadium.
New practice areas, fan zone
With the addition of four new practice courts this year, the total number of tennis courts increases to 21.
Here’s what fans can still see this year:
- A temporary fan zone to relax and watch games and question and answer sessions with the players.
- Newly branded merchandise, including 125th anniversary merchandise.
- A new fan lawn next to the new practice pitches.
What’s coming in 2025? Concerts and a “pickleball destination”
Beemok’s complete campus renovation will be completed before the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The complex will expand to the south and include:
- 10 new places (total 31 places).
- Fan area.
- A sunken stadium for 2,000 people.
- Two-story, 5,200 m² player building with outdoor terrace, lounge, restaurant and fitness center for athletes.
- An indoor facility with six tennis courts for year-round play.
Warren County Commissioner Dave Young, who led local officials’ efforts to keep the tournament, said that by adding six dedicated pickleball courts and numerous tennis courts that can be used for the sport, the facility could become “the pickleball destination of the Midwest.”
The complex will also have two courts for another growing racket sport, padel. According to a list of courts published in January by The Padel State, a website dedicated to the sport, these Mason padel courts would be the first in Ohio.
“We want to be the home of racket sports in the state and there is no reason why that shouldn’t be the case,” Moran said.
The complex’s three arenas host a variety of concerts, and the outdoor tennis courts can also host events such as car shows.
“If it’s a 2,000-person show, we could probably do it in the (new) third (arena). If it’s a 10,000-person show, we’d probably do it in the (Center Court) stadium,” Moran said. “It gives us so much variety in terms of the type of music and the special events we can do here.”
Events will be booked after the Cincinnati Open next year.
This story was written by our media partners at the Cincinnati Enquirer.
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