Cincinnati Open to remain at Lindner Center

Article posted by Coliseum, October 17^th, 2023

Image: Western and Southern Open

Beemok Capital, the family office of Charleston-based businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro, announced recently the decision to keep the Western & Southern Open at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, just outside Cincinnati (US), for another 25 years.

‘Western & Southern Open’ quoted Navarro as stating, “The passion and commitment of this community to keep the tournament here was an undeniable factor in our decision to stay. 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 the players and the fans.”

The Beemok Capital is a family office that offers financial services. It’s based in Charleston, South Carolina (US). The Beemok Capital is owned by Benjamin Navarro, a businessman and philanthropist from Charleston. The company specializes in: Wellness, Mental Health, Education, Hospitality, and Sports and Entertainment.

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The Cincinnati Open or Cincinnati Masters (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hard court tennis event held in Mason, Ohio, a suburb of Cincinnati (US). The event started on September 18^th, 1899, and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States that is still played in its original City.

The 22,400-capacity Lindner Family Tennis Center (LFTC) is a tennis facility in Mason, Ohio (US). It’s owned by Tennis for Charity, Inc. The LFTC has been home to the Western & Southern Open since 1979. The tournament is one of the biggest in the world.

Cincinnati (US)-based the Tennis for Charity, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that funds tennis programs for the underserved and at-risk youth. Their mission is to improve the lives of young people through tennis.

‘Western & Southern Open’ further stated that founded in 1899, the tournament is the nation’s longest-running professional tennis tournament played in its City of origin. This means the best players in tennis have been coming to Ohio since before the existence of most major American sporting events, including the World Series (the lowest tier of annual men’s tennis tournaments on the main ATP Tour), the Masters (an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990), Rose Bowl, the Davis Cup (the premier international team event in men’s tennis), and the Indianapolis 500 (an annual men’s tennis tournament that was part of the ATP Tour. The tournament was held in Indianapolis for one week in July from 1987 to 2009). The tournament will celebrate 125 years next year and, with this commitment, will eventually celebrate 150 years of competition in Ohio.

London (UK)-based the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis circuits – the ATP Tour, the ATP Challenger Tour and the ATP Champions Tour.

The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour.

The ATP Champions Tour is a men’s tennis tour for the former professional tennis players who have retired from the ATP Tour. The tour brings together some of the greatest tennis players in history to compete in tournaments in Cities around the world.

This premier tennis event is an ATP Masters 1000 and a WTA 1000 tournament. It’s one of the world’s nine biggest tournaments where both men and women compete at the same time.

The ATP Masters 1000 is an annual series of nine tennis tournaments that feature the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour. The tournaments have been held since 1990.

The WTA 1000 tournaments are a category of tennis tournaments on the WTA Tour. The WTA Tour is governed by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

St. Petersburg (US)-based the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) is the global governing body for women’s professional tennis. The WTA was founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King (American former World No. 1 tennis player). It governs the WTA Tour, which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women.

The Beemok Capital acquired the tournament in October 2022 from the United States Tennis Association and soon, thereafter, began evaluating the opportunity to keep it in its current location or relocate it to Charlotte.

New York (US)-based the United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. The USTA is a not-for-profit organization with over 700,000 members. The USTA invests 100 percent of its proceeds into promoting and developing tennis at all levels, from local communities to the professional game.

Noted Navarro, “The leaders in Charlotte and the State have been incredible partners as we’ve evaluated our options. This was a very difficult decision, and we are deeply appreciative of the time, energy and resources that were invested alongside us. We have strong ties to the area and will look for ways to invest in the community and local tennis development in the future.”

The Beemok Capital is finalizing plans to make significant investments in the facilities and experience. In 2023, the tournament debuted a new fan zone and upgraded player areas in addition to new food and drink offerings, more entertainment and a variety of activities to complement the tournament’s world-class field of players. The impact was evident; the 2023 tournament broke records, exceeded expectations and set a new benchmark for success. However, that was just a small sample of what is to come given the pending renovation and tournament expansion slated for 2025. At that time, the tournament will expand in size and duration, extending from nine to 12 days and growing the single player draw from 56 to 96 players, making it an even more significant date on the tennis calendar.

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