Serving Up History: The Story of the Cincinnati Open

Blog by Stacha Yundt (photos courtesy of the Cincinnati Open)

Picture it: 1899. A new century was just around the corner. Ohioan William McKinley was in the Oval Office. Queens and Staten Island merged with New York City. Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State was officially established. The Allegan Meteorite crashed into southwestern Michigan. And at the Avondale Athletic Club, the Cincinnati Open was played for the very first time.

From its very first serve, the Cincinnati Open was billed as a national tournament and drew elite players from far and wide. In that inaugural year Myrtle McAteer and Nat C. Emerson claimed the first women’s and men’s singles champion titles. McAteer would make history again the following year when she successfully defended her title and became the first player to retain a title in Cincinnati in any category.

In 1901, the tournament underwent its first name change, becoming the Tri-State Tennis Tournament. It would carry this name for nearly seven decades, until it was changed again in 1969. That same year, the tournament debuted a new grand prize: the Governor’s Bowl trophy, a sterling silver bowl commissioned for $500 (equivalent to about $19,000 today). The stakes were rising, and so was the tournament’s prestige.

As the 20th century marched on, the tournament continued to evolve. In 1903 it was moved from its original location at the Avondale Athletic Club to the Cincinnati Tennis Club in East Walnut Hills—a historic venue founded in 1880 and still in operation today, making it one of the oldest active tennis clubs in the nation. The tournament stayed there until 1972, when it briefly relocated to the Queen City Racquet Club until 1974, when it shifted over to Coney Island Amusement Park. Finally, in 1979, the tournament found its forever home in Mason: the Lindner Family Tennis Center, where a dedicated stadium awaited.

Over the decades, the tournament continued to welcome some of the sport’s biggest legends and most passionate fans. The tournament’s impact on Mason was impossible to miss. Each year, as thousands of visitors traveled to Warren County, local hotels sold out, restaurants and shops saw surging business, and the economic boost reached into the tens of millions.

But in 2023 its future suddenly came into question. As discussions about relocating the tournament, now called the Western & Southern Open, from Mason to North Carolina began, the region sprang into action. City and state leaders, local advocates, athletes and tennis fans all rallied together in support of keeping the tournament in Mason, offering up everything from heartfelt testimonials to economic incentives.

It worked.

In October of 2023, it was officially announced that not only would the tournament remain in Mason, it would get even bigger. Plans were unveiled to transform it into a full two-week event beginning in 2025, backed with a significant $260 million campus renovation to the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The expansion includes new courts, state-of-the-art facilities and an elevated experience for both players and fans. In 2024, the tournament was restored to its original name, the Cincinnati Open, in part to celebrate its 125th year.

This August, the Cincinnati Open will debut both of these expansions as it heads into its 126th year. While it may not be the oldest tennis tournament in the world, it holds the unique distinction of being the longest-running tournament still played in its original city, and it ranks as the third largest tennis event in the United States behind only the US Open and Indian Wells. With its latest expansion, the tournament’s economic impact is projected to surpass $100 million, reinforcing its role not only as a source of community pride, but as a powerful engine for local businesses, from hotels and restaurants to the shops that give Warren County its charm.

Catch every thrilling moment starting August 5th at the newly transformed Lindner Family Tennis Center.