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Western & Southern Open announces $25M Center Court expansion, talks 2017 fields
Patrick Brennan and Alexa Philippou, pbrennan@enquirer.com
Published 8:38 p.m. ET July 13, 2017 | Updated 9:37 p.m. ET July 13, 2017
That a field of the world's greatest women's and men's tennis stars will grace Greater Cincinnati's 2017 Western & Southern Open comes as no surprise.
That's seemingly always the case for the region's cherished ATP World Tour Masters 1000 professional tennis tournament.
A $25 million facelift for the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the competition's main venue, after the tournament wraps up in late August, though?
That, along with other ongoing upgrades to the tennis center grounds, are new features patrons will surely welcome in years to come.
Western & Southern Open officials announced Thursday plans for the $25 million expansion project that will begin immediately following the conclusion of this year’s tournament.
The expansion will produce a new five-story, 40,000 square foot building at the south end of Center Court, which was built in 1985.
The 104-foot-tall structure, currently named the “South Building,” will more than double interior space for fans while also increasing Center Court seating by nearly 300 seats.
The structure will be built between Center and Grandstand Courts and is intended to be operational for the 2018 tournament.
The second floor will feature a restaurant and bar as well as 252 indoor, air-conditioned box seats behind glass -- presumed to be the first of their kind in professional tennis.
The floor above is set to have 396 new outdoor box seats and concession stands, while the fourth floor will have six all-inclusive suites.
The top story will offer a press box and broadcast booths.
The expansion plans were unveiled at a Thursday news conference at Rhinegeist Brewery in Over-the-Rhine. The event was attended by media, sponsors and tournament officials.
THE PLAYERS AND FIELDS
"I'm here to talk about the easy stuff," Western & Southern Open Tournament Director Andre Silva said. "I say it's easy because it's a constant thing: Our players have showed out year after year. We have the top players in the world showing up here in Cincinnati to play this event, and this year is no different."
Silva's set out a broad description of the men's and women's fields, and his opening statement on the level of the competition expected for 2017 was far from hyperbole.
Together, the fields are comprised of 83 total entrants. Of those, 39 of the entrants have combined for 58 tournament wins in 2017.
Eleven of the players are American.
On the women’s side, defending Western & Southern champion and soon-to-be Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 1 player, Karolina Pilskova, will be one of the main draws for a stacked women’s field that features 39 of the top 44 players in the world.
The women’s field is also scheduled to feature three former No. 1-ranked players in Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams.
Kerber and Williams represent two out of seven grand-slam champions scattered throughout the women’s bracket.
The men’s bracket is scheduled to be equally star-studded and will also feature seven grand-slam champions.
Men’s singles headliners include seven-time Western & Southern winner Roger Federer, two-timer winner Andy Murray, 2013 champion Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marin Cilic.
Federer and Cilic advanced Wednesday to the semifinals of the gentleman’s singles tournament at Wimbledon.
Murray is the current men’s world No. 1.
Serbian great Novak Djokovic, a five-time Western & Southern finalist, is officially entered into the competition, although his status is now in question following his Wednesday, mid-match withdrawal from a Wimbledon quarterfinal match due to an elbow injury.
The official draw for the women’s and men’s tournaments is scheduled for Aug. 11 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Qualifying rounds begin Aug. 12. The tournament runs through Aug. 20.
OTHER AMENITIES
New for this year's Western & Southern will be a practice court for the competition's marquee players. The court will allow more fans to observe the top players get their prep work in.
The court, which is part of $5 million worth of ongoing work on the property, is the 17th at the Lindner Family Tennis Center and will be located near Stadium 3.
Lighting will also be added to two existing courts, bringing the total number of lighted courts on the property to eight.
Inside the Center Court stadium, LED, high-definition "ribbon" screens will line the walls that run along the court. The screens will replace vinyl covers with white printing.
Away from the tennis facilities, infrastructure upgrades are taking place. Walking and driving paths, and grading and drainage work is underway.
That work comes in response to last year's record rainfall, which made a mess of parking and commuting to the Western & Southern.
Western & Southern officials also announced an apparel deal with FILA, which will outfit grounds volunteers, lines people and on-court personnel.
The wide selection of food and beverage is always one of the great complements to the Western & Southern's world-class tennis offerings.
Food vendors for 2017 will include Flipside Burger, Prime Steakhouse, Mazunte, Revolution Rotisserie and Bar, Fusian, Graeters, Auntie Annie's Pretzels, Montgomery Inn, Skyline Chili, Kala Greek Grill, J. Gumbo's, Firehouse Subs, Eli's Sports Bar and Grill, and Baba Budans.
Rhinegeist Brewery will serve as the event's exclusive craft beer offering, and will feature heavily at an on-site hospitality area called the "Rhinegeist Brew Balcony" on the mezzanine area.
Patrick Brennan and Alexa Philippou, pbrennan@enquirer.com
Published 8:38 p.m. ET July 13, 2017 | Updated 9:37 p.m. ET July 13, 2017
That a field of the world's greatest women's and men's tennis stars will grace Greater Cincinnati's 2017 Western & Southern Open comes as no surprise.
That's seemingly always the case for the region's cherished ATP World Tour Masters 1000 professional tennis tournament.
A $25 million facelift for the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the competition's main venue, after the tournament wraps up in late August, though?
That, along with other ongoing upgrades to the tennis center grounds, are new features patrons will surely welcome in years to come.
Western & Southern Open officials announced Thursday plans for the $25 million expansion project that will begin immediately following the conclusion of this year’s tournament.
The expansion will produce a new five-story, 40,000 square foot building at the south end of Center Court, which was built in 1985.
The 104-foot-tall structure, currently named the “South Building,” will more than double interior space for fans while also increasing Center Court seating by nearly 300 seats.
The structure will be built between Center and Grandstand Courts and is intended to be operational for the 2018 tournament.
The second floor will feature a restaurant and bar as well as 252 indoor, air-conditioned box seats behind glass -- presumed to be the first of their kind in professional tennis.
The floor above is set to have 396 new outdoor box seats and concession stands, while the fourth floor will have six all-inclusive suites.
The top story will offer a press box and broadcast booths.
The expansion plans were unveiled at a Thursday news conference at Rhinegeist Brewery in Over-the-Rhine. The event was attended by media, sponsors and tournament officials.
THE PLAYERS AND FIELDS
"I'm here to talk about the easy stuff," Western & Southern Open Tournament Director Andre Silva said. "I say it's easy because it's a constant thing: Our players have showed out year after year. We have the top players in the world showing up here in Cincinnati to play this event, and this year is no different."
Silva's set out a broad description of the men's and women's fields, and his opening statement on the level of the competition expected for 2017 was far from hyperbole.
Together, the fields are comprised of 83 total entrants. Of those, 39 of the entrants have combined for 58 tournament wins in 2017.
Eleven of the players are American.
On the women’s side, defending Western & Southern champion and soon-to-be Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) No. 1 player, Karolina Pilskova, will be one of the main draws for a stacked women’s field that features 39 of the top 44 players in the world.
The women’s field is also scheduled to feature three former No. 1-ranked players in Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams.
Kerber and Williams represent two out of seven grand-slam champions scattered throughout the women’s bracket.
The men’s bracket is scheduled to be equally star-studded and will also feature seven grand-slam champions.
Men’s singles headliners include seven-time Western & Southern winner Roger Federer, two-timer winner Andy Murray, 2013 champion Rafael Nadal and defending champion Marin Cilic.
Federer and Cilic advanced Wednesday to the semifinals of the gentleman’s singles tournament at Wimbledon.
Murray is the current men’s world No. 1.
Serbian great Novak Djokovic, a five-time Western & Southern finalist, is officially entered into the competition, although his status is now in question following his Wednesday, mid-match withdrawal from a Wimbledon quarterfinal match due to an elbow injury.
The official draw for the women’s and men’s tournaments is scheduled for Aug. 11 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
Qualifying rounds begin Aug. 12. The tournament runs through Aug. 20.
OTHER AMENITIES
New for this year's Western & Southern will be a practice court for the competition's marquee players. The court will allow more fans to observe the top players get their prep work in.
The court, which is part of $5 million worth of ongoing work on the property, is the 17th at the Lindner Family Tennis Center and will be located near Stadium 3.
Lighting will also be added to two existing courts, bringing the total number of lighted courts on the property to eight.
Inside the Center Court stadium, LED, high-definition "ribbon" screens will line the walls that run along the court. The screens will replace vinyl covers with white printing.
Away from the tennis facilities, infrastructure upgrades are taking place. Walking and driving paths, and grading and drainage work is underway.
That work comes in response to last year's record rainfall, which made a mess of parking and commuting to the Western & Southern.
Western & Southern officials also announced an apparel deal with FILA, which will outfit grounds volunteers, lines people and on-court personnel.
The wide selection of food and beverage is always one of the great complements to the Western & Southern's world-class tennis offerings.
Food vendors for 2017 will include Flipside Burger, Prime Steakhouse, Mazunte, Revolution Rotisserie and Bar, Fusian, Graeters, Auntie Annie's Pretzels, Montgomery Inn, Skyline Chili, Kala Greek Grill, J. Gumbo's, Firehouse Subs, Eli's Sports Bar and Grill, and Baba Budans.
Rhinegeist Brewery will serve as the event's exclusive craft beer offering, and will feature heavily at an on-site hospitality area called the "Rhinegeist Brew Balcony" on the mezzanine area.
