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

The tournament is the third largest tennis event in the U.S. after the US Open and the Indian Wells Open as its men's event is one of the Masters 1000 tournaments on the ATP Tour, and its women's event is one of the WTA 1000 events on the WTA Tour.

History
The tournament was started in 1899 as the Cincinnati Open and was renamed in 1901 to Tri-State Tennis Tournament, a name it would keep until 1969 (it would later be known by several other names, including ATP Championships), and would eventually grow into the tournament now held in Mason. The original tournament was held at the Avondale Athletic Club, which sat on property that is now Xavier University, and would later be moved to several various locations due to changes in tournament management and surfaces. The first tournament in 1899 was played on clay courts (described in a newspaper article of the time as "crushed brick dust"), and the event was mostly played on clay until 1979 when it switched to hardcourts.

In 1903, the tournament was moved to the Cincinnati Tennis Club, where it was primarily held until 1972. In 1974, the tournament was nearly dropped from the tennis calendar but moved at the last moment to the Cincinnati Convention Center, where it was played indoors and, for the first time since 1919, without a women's draw. In 1975, the tournament moved to the Coney Island amusement park on the Ohio River, and the tournament began to gain momentum again.

Between 1981 and 1989 it was a major tournament on the men's Grand Prix Tennis Tour and part of the Grand Prix Super Series.

In 1979 the tournament moved to Mason where a permanent stadium was built and the surface was changed from Har-Tru clay to hardcourt (DecoTurf II.). Later, two other permanent stadia were constructed, making Cincinnati the only tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slam events with three stadium courts – Center Court, Grandstand Court and Court 3. A new Court 3 was built in 2010, increasing the number of stadium courts to four, with the existing Court 3 renamed Court 9. The women's competition was reinstated in 1988 for one year, and then again in 2004 when the organizers, with the help of the Octagon sports agency, bought the Croatian Bol Ladies Open and moved it to Cincinnati.

In August 2008, the men's tournament was sold to the United States Tennis Association, the owners of the US Open.

In 2002, the tournament was sponsored for the first time by Western & Southern Financial Group, with the company continuing its sponsorship until at least 2016. In 2011 the men's and women's tournaments were played in the same week, and the name changed from the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters and Women's Open to the Western & Southern Open.

In 2022, the tournament was sold by the USTA to Ben Navarro's Beemok Capital; in 2023, the tournament proposed an additional $22.5 million in state funding to help cover a proposed $150 million expansion to the Lindner Family Tennis Center, which included plans for the Cincinnati Open to expand to a 12-day format with a 96-player draw (joining the Indian Wells Open, Madrid Open, and Miami Open) and add additional programming. In May 2023, rumors emerged that Beemok was considering relocating the tournament to a proposed $400 million tennis complex in Charlotte, North Carolina. Beemok denied that relocation was being considered, stating, "We've had productive conversations with state and local representatives in Mason and the surrounding area and have made considerable efforts to develop a potential master plan to expand the event in its current location." In June 2023, the city proposed a $15 million commitment and other economic incentives to keep the tournament in Mason, while State Senator Steve Wilson proposed a $25 million contribution and a $1 billion "super-capital improvement fund" for a state budget proposal. In October 2023, Beemok announced that the tournament will remain in Mason and that it be expanding the event to a 12-day format for both men and women, with the draws expanding from 56 to 96 players beginning in 2025.

Paul M. Flory
In 1975, the tournament reins were taken by Paul M. Flory, then an executive with Procter & Gamble. During his tenure, the tournament enriched its considerable heritage while donating millions of dollars to charity: to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Tennis for City Youth (a program to teach tennis to inner-city children), and to The Charles M. Barrett Cancer Center at University Hospital.  Flory was honored with the ATP's Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award, enshrinement in the USTA/Midwest Hall of Fame and the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame, and was named one of the Great Living Cincinnatians by the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Flory began his involvement as a volunteer with the tournament in the late 1960s and remained a volunteer until the end, never accepting a salary. Flory, who was born on May 31, 1922, died on January 31, 2013, remaining tournament chairman until his final day.

Venue
The tournament is played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, located in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio. It features a total of 17 courts, including four tennis stadiums—Center Court, Grandstand Court, Court 3, and Court 9 (formerly known as Court 3)—and among the few venues (e.g. the Madrid Open) other than Grand Slams with more than two permanent stadiums.

In 2009, the tennis tournament announced a $10 million upgrade to the facility, including the construction of a  West Building to add space for players, media and fans. The new building, which opened in mid-2010 and is named the Paul M. Flory Player Center, is approximately twice as high as the previous West Building, rising  above ground level and  above the court level.

In 2010, the tournament announced plans to expand the grounds by more than 40% and add six new courts. One of those courts is Court 3, which serves as the third television court, while another court has seating for 2,500. A new ticket office, entry plaza, food court and exhibit areas also were added.

In June 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament temporarily relocated to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City to reduce unnecessary player travel by centralizing the tournament and the U.S. Open at one venue.

The venue hosts additional events including the Atlantic 10 Conference Tennis Championships, the Ohio Athletic Conference Tennis Championships, and both the boys' and girls' OHSAA state tennis championships, and has hosted an Association of Volleyball Professionals event, concerts, charitable events, and numerous regional and national junior tennis events.

Because of intentional design choices for the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the Cincinnati Open is known as one of the more intimate environments for player-fan interaction. The layout of the facility promotes fan interaction as players walk from court to court among the fans, and the tournament publicizes player practice times on the numerous courts.

Past finals

Men's singles

Women's singles

Men's doubles (Open era)

Women's doubles (Open era)

Records

Men's singles
Roger Federer has won the most Cincinnati Open titles, and out of eight finals, he possesses seven titles; his last being won in 2015, defeating future three-time champion Novak Djokovic in the final. It was at this tournament, in 2018, that Djokovic became the first player to win the Golden Masters (winning all 9 masters). Djokovic then completed this again in 2020 for the double Golden Masters.

Women's singles

Men's doubles

Women's doubles

Overall records
 Overall records include combined totals of singles and doubles events:

References

External links

 Official tournament website
 The Cincinnati Enquirers Special Section on the Tournament's 100th Anniversary (1999)
 Cincinnati Enquirer Article on Paul Flory (1999)
 Facts on Paul Flory from Cincinnati Enquirer Article (1999)
 Cincinnati Enquirer Article on The 25 Best Matches Of The Tournament's First 25 Years in Mason (August 6, 2004)

 
Grand Prix tennis circuit
Hard court tennis tournaments in the United States
Cincinnati
Sports competitions in Cincinnati
Recurring sporting events established in 1899
Tourist attractions in Warren County, Ohio
US Open Series
ATP Tour Masters 1000
1899 establishments in Ohio
Sports competitions in Mason, Ohio
신시내티 마스터스()는 매년 미국 오하이오주 신시내티 근방에 위치한 도시인 메이슨의 교외에서 열리는 남녀 통합 테니스 대회이다. 대회 스폰서인 웨스턴 앤 서던 파이낸셜 그룹의 이름을 따서 공식 명칭은 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women's Open으로 불린다. 1899년 9월 18일 처음으로 개최된 이 대회는, 현재 미국의 테니스 대회들 가운데서 가장 오랜 역사를 가진 대회들 중 하나이다.

이 대회는 남자 투어에서는 9개의 마스터스 1000 대회 중 하나에 속한다. 여자 투어에서는 상금 2백만 달러의 프리미어 5 대회에 속하며, 미국 중서부에서 열리는 유일한 WTA 투어 대회이기도 하다. 2009년 및 2010년 대회에서는 남녀 경기가 8월에 각각 연달아 열릴 계획이지만(2009년 8월 8~23일, 2010년 8월 7~22일), 2011년부터는 남녀 경기를 모두 8일 만에 소화하는 것으로 일정이 변경될 예정이다.

역사 
신시내티 마스터스는 1899년 신시내티 오픈(Cincinnati Open)이라는 이름으로 처음 시작되었다. 최초의 대회는 현재 자비에 대학 부지의 일부가 된 아본데일 스포츠 클럽(the Avondale Athletic Club)에서 개최되었으며, 이후 대회 운영상의 사정 및 코트 종류의 변동에 따라 몇 번에 걸쳐 개최 장소의 이전이 있었다. 1978년까지는 주로 클레이 코트에서 열렸으며, 1979부터는 영구적으로 하드 코트 대회로 바뀌게 되었다.

1903년 대회 장소가 신시내티 테니스 클럽으로 변경되면서 1972년까지 주로 이 장소에서 대회가 개최되었다. 1974년에는 대회 개최가 거의 무산될 뻔하기도 했으나, 막판에 신시내티 컨벤션 센터(the Cincinnati Convention Center)로 장소를 옮겨 어렵게 개최되기도 하였다. 이 해 대회는 실내에서 치러졌으며, 1919년 이후 처음으로 여자 드로가 빠지게 되었다. 1975년 대회 장소가 오하이오 강 옆의 올드 코니 어뮤즈먼트 파크(the Old Coney amusement park)로 옮겨지면서 대회는 다시금 예전의 추진력을 얻게 되었다.

1979년 대회 장소가 메이슨으로 옮겨졌다. 이곳에는 현재의 메인 경기장(스타디움)이 지어졌으며, 이와 함께 코트 종류도 과거의 하트루 클레이에서 현재의 하드 코트(데코 터프 II)로 변경되었다. 이후에 두 개의 경기장이 더 지어졌으며, 이 덕분에 신시내티 마스터스는 4개의 그랜드 슬램 대회를 제외하면 세 개의 경기장(센터 코트, 그랜드스탠드 코트, 코트 3)을 가진 유일한 테니스 대회가 되었다.

1988년에는 일시적으로 여자 경기가 함께 열리기도 했다. 이후 옥타곤 스포츠 에이전시(the Octagon sports agency)의 도움으로 대회 조직위가 크로아티아에서 열리던 대회를 사들여 신시내티로 개최지를 옮겨오면서 2004년부터 여자 경기가 완전히 부활하게 되었다.

1975년 이래로 신시내티 마스터스의 운영에 있어서 폴 M. 플로리(Paul M. Flory)가 핵심적인 역할을 담당해왔다. 그는 현재 대회 위원장(chairman)이자 프락터 앤드 갬블사의 전 중역이었다. 그는 재임기간 동안 대회의 가치를 더욱 높였으며, 대회 수익금의 일부를 지속적으로 자선 단체에 기부하여 활발한 기부 활동을 해온 것으로 좋은 평가를 받았다. 신시내티 마스터스는 현재 신시내티 어린이 병원 의학 센터 및 찰스 M. 바렛 암 센터(the Charles M. Barrett Cancer Center)에 대회 수익금을 기부하고 있다.

폴 플로리는 ATP가 수여하는 '아서 애시 인도주의 상'(Humanitarian Award)을 수상하였으며, USTA/중서부 명예의 전당 및 신시내티 테니스 명예의 전당에 헌액되었다. 2009년에는 신시내티 상공회의소에 의해 '살아있는 위대한 신시내티인'(the Great Living Cincinnatians)으로 선정되기도 했다. 그는 1960년대 후반부터 자원하여 대회 운영에 참여해왔으며, 여태까지 모든 임금 지불 제안을 거절하고 무료로 대회를 위해 일하고 있다.

2008년, 신시내티 마스터스의 남자 부문은 US 오픈의 소유주인 미국 테니스 협회에 매각되었다.

장소 
신시내티 마스터스는 오하이오주 메이슨의 린드너 패밀리 테니스 센터에서 개최된다. 이곳은 3개의 전용 경기장을 갖추고 있으며, 4개 그랜드 슬램 대회를 제외하면 3개 이상의 전용 경기장을 갖춘 세계에서 유일한 테니스 대회이다. 센터 코트는 1981년 세워져 이후 몇 회에 걸쳐 증축되었으며, 10,700명을 수용할 수 있다. 2번 경기장인 그랜드스탠드 코트(Grandstand Court)는 1995년 세워졌으며 5,000명을 수용할 수 있다. 3번 경기장은 1997년 세워졌으며 2,000명을 수용할 수 있다. 이 테니스 센터에 있는 전체 코트 수는 10면이다.

역대 대회 결과

남자 단식 결승

여자 단식 결승

남자 복식 결승 (오픈 시대)

여자 복식 결승 (오픈 시대)

기록

개인 기록

대회 기록

참고 
1  1979년 대회는 'ATP 챔피언십'이라고 불리기는 했으나 ATP 랭킹 포인트는 부여되지 않는 비(非)그랑프리 대회로, 보스턴의 'US 프로 챔피언십'에 대한 라이벌 대회 성격의 것이었다.

각주 
From Club Court to Center Court by Phillip S. Smith (2008 Edition; ISBN# 978-0-9712445-7-3).

외부 링크 
  공식 웹사이트
  The Cincinnati Enquirer's Special Section on the Tournament's 100th Anniversary (1999)
  Cincinnati Enquirer Article on Paul Flory (1999)
  Facts on Paul Flory from Cincinnati Enquirer Article (1999)
  Cincinnati Enquirer Article on The 25 Best Matches Of The Tournament's First 25 Years in Mason (August 6, 2004)

미국의 테니스 대회
하드 코트 테니스 대회
ATP 투어
WTA 투어
신시내티의 스포츠