Fans attending the ATP/WTA Masters 1000 series tournament at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, will notice a lot of changes this year. The tournament formerly known as the Western and Southern Open received some new amenities and a new look in addition to a new name.
Fans visiting the now Cincinnati Open, can expect new sights, colors, comforts, tastes, and experience.
Starting with the main attraction, Center court has seen many upgrades for this year's tournament. Gone are the hard bleacher style benches, replaced with individual seats with arm rests and cup holders.
For those who are lucky enough to have certain select seats, they can enjoy air conditioning at their control. These seats are located in the lower bowl, and come with a switch fans can use to turn on and off this feature.
Moving over to Grandstand. Similar to Center Court, Grandstand has had all bleachers in the lower bowl replaced with individual seats.
Also new is temporary luxury suites located on the southwest side of the court. These are fully enclosed and offer food and beverages, as well as lounge areas and court views for Grandstand.
Another addition to the grounds this year are four new practice courts. This brings the total number of courts on site up to 21 with more in the planning process for next year.
Finally fans who want to experience something other than match play can check out the Kroger Fan Zone located between Court 10 and Stadium Court 3. They have everything from a bar, to various skill challenges and games. Live bands will perform through out the week, and fans can relax and watch tennis on the big screen.
Finally in addition to the over $6 million prize purse (ATP) and $ 3.2 million (WTA), players will compete for the new Rookwood trophy this year.
Enjoy these changes now at the Cincinnati Open. Tournament officials say there are more coming next year as the tournament site will expand in physical size and in field size. The tournament is expected to add a 2000+ Stadium on the south side of the venue, and a state of the art player center on the west side of the venue attached to the current player center.
You can check out coverage of the Cincinnati Open on this page, which will be updated with photos and audio through out the week, or tune in to 700 WLW for the latest scores.