Cincinnati Open: Watch top-tier tennis without traveling abroad or breaking the bank

If you’re no more than an occasional tennis fan — the kind who tunes in for the finals at Wimbledon or the French Open — you’ve probably entertained idle dreams of jetting overseas to see Coco Gauff or Novak Djokovic play in person. Probably not in this lifetime, you realize.

But you can get the same cast of athletes on court just by driving a few hours from Chicago. One of the premier events of the professional tennis tour takes place each August just outside Cincinnati. Yes, Cincinnati.

The Cincinnati Open, formerly known as the Western & Southern Open, is among a tier of tournaments ranking just below the majors — the Australian Open, Wimbledon, the French Open and the U.S. Open — where virtually all the top players compete.

Last year, it featured not only Djokovic and Gauff, who hoisted the winners’ trophies, but 2023 Wimbledon champ Marketa Vondrousova, 2024 Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, and American Taylor Fritz, who raised his profile by winning a title while being featured in the Netflix documentary series “Break Point.” Also there were this year’s French Open champions, Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz.

Except for those nursing injuries, the Cincinnati tournament has just about everybody who’s anybody — and everybody who will eventually be somebody.

This isn’t just a tournament. It’s more like a festival of tennis, with plenty of food, music and other diversions. It features a relaxed, intimate environment that brings fans close to the players at a price well below the cost of even the U.S. Open in New York — for which, by the way, Cincinnati offers a superb preview.

It takes place at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, a drive of less than five hours from Chicago. The facility, about 22 miles north of downtown Cincinnati, features 21 courts, including a center court with a capacity of more than 11,000.

For most of the tournament, players can be seen practicing or competing on any of the fan-accessible courts from morning to night. This year’s main field includes 56 men and 56 women in the main singles draw. Next year, it will expand to 96, going from nine days to 12.

Go to an NFL or MLB game, and you’ll likely be far removed from the athletes. Here, you may literally bump into a top-ranked pro who is strolling between the locker room and the court. The Fan Zone offers autograph sessions and interviews with players, as well as comfy Adirondack chairs and giant TVs showing the action on the main courts.

With so many players taking part, the array of choices can be dizzying. Unlike some tournaments, this one features both men and women. But that’s just one of the choices facing spectators. There is also: Singles or doubles? The promising youngster or the proven veteran? The early rounds, when anything is possible, or the later ones, when match winners vie to keep advancing? Adding to the challenge is that these contrasting matches may be taking place simultaneously.

But you can have it all, and on the same day. One pleasure of tennis tournaments is the freedom for fans to move from one match to the next when the urge strikes. If a player who catches your interest is taking the court at the same time as another player you want to see, you can scratch both itches, watching one match for a while before migrating to the other. If a contest proves dull, you can seek out a livelier one.

Last year, it looked as if the 2024 tournament might be the last one in the heart of the Midwest. After the tournament was purchased by the financial services firm Beemok Capital, officials in North Carolina tried to lure the new owner to Charlotte by offering to build a lavish new tennis facility. But the fears were soon put to rest. In October, 2023 champions Djokovic and Gauff popped up on X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce: “Your wonderful tournament is staying in Cincinnati — and it’s going to be bigger and better forever.” Part of the deal is an investment of some $200 million to expand and upgrade the venue.

This year, the Open will follow the Summer Olympics in Paris, prompting organizers to delay the customary Saturday kickoff to Sunday, Aug. 11. The men’s and women’s singles championship matches are scheduled for Monday, Aug. 19.

The ticket options are fairly simple. You can buy a reserved seat in Center Court, which also grants you access to every other court. Or, on the day of the session you’re attending, if Center Court has sold out, you can go to the box office to buy one of a limited number of grounds passes, good anywhere but Center Court. Multiday packages sell out months in advance.

For day sessions, doors open at 10 or 11 a.m., depending on the day, and matches begin an hour later; for night matches, doors open at 5 or 6 p.m., also an hour before play commences. A separate ticket is required for each session. At most courts, seating is first come, first served.

There are plenty of hotels within a few minutes’ drive, including Marriott, Residence Inn, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn. Parking is free at unpaved lots for ticket holders. Parking at the premium Diamond Lot is $200 per day.

The venue features an outdoor food court with such options as Cincinnati-style chili, sushi, salads, tacos, pizza, gourmet coffee and ice cream. There are several bars scattered around the venue, along with a wine garden. Food court lines can be long around meal times. One way to avoid them is to wait until a match begins on Center Court, drawing fans back in.

This being the Midwest in summer, fans should be prepared for blazing sun, heat and humidity. Shade is scarce in the stands, so hats, sunscreen and frequent hydration are recommended. A seat cushion is a good accessory, because many courtside seats are metal benches.

The bigger problem can be rain. Play is suspended at the onset of precipitation and doesn’t resume until the showers end, courts are dried off and players warm up, all of which takes time. If the forecast looks soggy, you will want to bring an umbrella, as the available shelter can be oversubscribed by the huddled masses. When rain goes on for hours, matches are postponed, sometimes until the following day. If a session is canceled, you may qualify for a rain check, but it’s usable only for the next year’s tournament.

If weather washes out a day session, you can seek out other Cincinnati attractions. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center features exhibits on forced bondage, including what has been called “the only known surviving rural slave jail.” The Cincinnati Art Museum has an exhibition running till Sept. 8 that features four bronze figures sculpted by Auguste Rodin. The William Howard Taft National Historic Site is the birthplace and boyhood home of the 27th president and the 10th chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

But in good weather, you can give your full attention to tennis, admiring Djokovic’s bulletproof backhand, Gauff’s dazzling foot speed, Ons Jabeur’s confounding drop shots and more. And you may get a long look at a player you’ve never heard of who, in a year or two, could capture a Grand Slam title.

The Cincinnati Open offers an embarrassment of riches. If you’re a tennis fan, it’s hard to beat. If you’re not — well, it could make you one.

Steve Chapman is a freelancer.