It was Queen City (Cincinnati) vs. Queen City (Charlotte) when it came to Beemok Capital picking the city that would be the future home to the Western & Southern Open.
But on top of the $250 million investment the state of Ohio, Warren County and the city of Mason promised, it was Cincinnati fans’ passion for the tournament that vaulted Cincinnati to the top choice, said Bob Moran, president of Beemok Sports and Entertainment.
Beemok bought the tournament in 2022 and had considered moving it.
Moran joined The Enquirer’s “That’s So Cincinnati” podcast to talk about the deal that kept the tennis tournament in Cincinnati and the changes coming to the tournament.
Moran, who is based in Charleston, South Carolina, has spent a lot of time in Cincinnati as Beemok and its owner, billionaire Benjamin Navarro, prepare to unveil the coming changes.
“For Mr. Navarro to come on-site and see just a packed house every day he was here” was important, Moran said.
“The people that talked to Mr. Navarro and us said, ‘We’d really like it to stay, we think it’s a great event,’” Navarro said. “It was Midwest hospitality all the way, making everyone feel really good about being here. It was really key to see and feel what the event could be like … That meant the world to Mr. Navarro and it really put us over over the top.”
Next year’s tennis tournament will end on a Monday
The tennis tournament always starts on a Saturday and ends on a Sunday, but next year the summer Olympics, where the top tennis players in the world will compete, will push everything back a day, Moran said. The tournament will start on a Sunday and end on a Monday. Look for the previous Saturday to host kick-off events celebrating 125 years of tennis in Cincinnati, Moran said. In 2025, the tournament will expand from one week to two weeks.
Tournament set to get a new name
The tennis tournament has long been called the Western & Southern Tennis Tournament, named for its main sponsor. The new name will be less about a main sponsor. Besides Western & Southern, sponsors will include Credit One Bank, Procter & Gamble, Great American Insurance, Fifth Third Bank and Kroger. But what is the new name? “We don’t know yet. We’re working on it,” Moran said.
Midwest perfect setting for bigger, better tournament
Moran said there is no other professional tennis in the central part of the United States. There’s the NP Paribas Open in California. There’s the Miami Open Tennis Tournament in Florida and there’s the U.S. Open on the East Coast, but nothing in driving distance from Midwesterners. “There is no other professional tennis in the central part of the United States,” Moran said.
“The amazing thing about Cincinnati and the Mason campus is that it is a very, very drivable market from a lot of major urban centers in the Midwest,” Moran said. “We set attendance records and the passion that was shown, the commitment that was shown from the fans was truly amazing.”