Western & Southern Open News: Unveils Fan Zone Plans

By Mariana Smithville

(courtesy Western & Southern Open Communications)

Luxury Seating, Additional Video Boards, New Vendors

Among Amenities for Reimagined Event Experience

CINCINNATI (July 20, 2023) – Fans attending next month’s Western & Southern Open will be treated to an elevated experience that was revealed Thursday evening during “A Spectacle Served,” a tournament preview party at Cincinnati’s Lytle Park Hotel. Highlighting the improvements unveiled by Bob Moran, President, Beemok Sports and Entertainment, for the Aug. 12-20 tournament is a new Fan Zone that promises to be the hub of activity between matches at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

“From the moment fans walk through the gates next month, they will notice a new look, feel and experience of the Western & Southern Open,” said Moran. “This year’s reimagined tournament will provide even more opportunities for fans to experience the passion, excitement, camaraderie and intimacy that are unique to our event. While the Fan Zone will be at the heart of this guest experience, we are striving to improve the entire campus for all attendees.”

Positioned between the North Gate and Center Court, the Fan Zone is centrally located between the 17 courts that will play host to the event’s world-class tennis action. In the Fan Zone, visitors will have access to unique programming and entertainment throughout the tournament’s nine days.

Marked by a wide swath of greenspace and florals, the Fan Zone will feature a shade covering, an entertainment stage and various activities for fans of all ages to enjoy. The focal point of the area will be an 80-foot video wall featuring live footage of the many matches taking place simultaneously with Adirondack chairs for fans to relax in.

Adjacent to the video wall will be a VIP viewing deck overlooking Porsche Court called the Sip & Serve Sun Deck. This exclusive area is available for guests who want to upgrade their tickets to enjoy bottle service, premium drink offerings and a unique view of the action below.

Renderings of the Fan Zone, which were unveiled at Thursday’s event, are available for download HERE.

Credit One Bank, a new tournament partner, will help further improve the spectator experience through the Credit One Concierge Desk where fans can elevate their everyday experience on-site.

Food and drink remains a key part of the Western & Southern Open experience, and this year the popular E+O Kitchen and Mason’s own craft brewer, Sonder Brewing, will join the roster of available options on-site.

A new luxury seating offering is the Grandview Club in the South Building that overlooks both Center Court and Grandstand Court, where fans can watch the world’s top men and women players while enjoying complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks as well as indoor, air-conditioned club access.

Inside Center Court, viewing will be enhanced through the addition of new video boards along facings of the south and east stands to complement the immersive experience of video boards around all four sides of the court as well as on the umpire’s chair and net judge box. Grandstand Court will also have digital back and side walls this year.

Additional information regarding food and drink offerings at the Western & Southern Open as well as other partners, special events and entertainment at the tournament will be released in the coming weeks.

The Western & Southern Open is one of only five events globally to host an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournament in the same week at the same venue, joining Madrid, Miami, Rome and Indian Wells, California. The initial entry list for the 2023 event, which was released July 18, includes the world’s top 41 men and 39 women, 14 Grand Slam champions, eight current or former world No. 1-ranked players and 11 past tournament champions.

The 2022 singles championships were won by Caroline Garcia and Borna Coric while the doubles titles were claimed by Lyudmyla Kichenok & Jelena Ostapenko and Rajeev Ram & Joe Salisbury.

Since becoming a single-week tournament in 2011, the Western & Southern Open has attracted nearly 2 million spectators, including ticket buyers who have traveled to Cincinnati from all 50 states and 40 different countries. International broadcast agreements deliver coverage to more than 126 million viewers in over 192 global markets.

Tickets for single sessions to the 2023 tournament are on sale now at wsopen.com and Ticketmaster.com. All multi-day ticket packages for this year’s tournament sold out by mid-June.

About the Western & Southern Open

Founded in 1899, the Western & Southern Open is an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 tournament. The Western & Southern Open annually welcomes nearly 200,000 fans who come from all 50 states and 40 countries and is seen by more than 126 million global viewers in over 192 global markets. Since 1974, the tournament has contributed more than $12 million to various beneficiaries including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the UC Health Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. The Western & Southern Open is held annually at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. For more information, visit www.wsopen.com.

About the WTA

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1973 on the principle of equal opportunity, the WTA is the global leader in women’s professional sports. The WTA is one of the world’s most recognizable and high-profile sports organizations, consisting of more than 1600 players representing over 80 nations, all competing to earn WTA rankings points and prestigious tournament titles. The Hologic WTA Tour is comprised of over 70 events and four Grand Slams, spanning 30 countries and regions across six continents with a global audience of nearly 900 million. Further information on the WTA can be found at wtatennis.com.

About the ATP

As the global governing body of men’s professional tennis, the ATP’s mission is to serve tennis. We

entertain a billion global fans, showcase the world’s greatest players at the most prestigious tournaments,and inspire the next generation of fans and players. From the United Cup in Australia, to Europe, the Americas and Asia, the stars of the game battle for titles and Pepperstone ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000, 500 and 250 events, and Grand Slams. All roads lead towards the Nitto ATP Finals, the prestigious season finale held in Turin, Italy. Featuring only the world’s top 8 qualified singles players and doubles teams, the tournament also sees the official crowning of the year-end ATP World No. 1, presented by Pepperstone, the ultimate achievement in tennis. For more information, please visit www.ATPTour.com.

COURTESY WESTERN & SOURTHERN OPEN COMMUNICATIONS