A few months after the organizers of the Cincinnati Masters confirmed their expansion plan, increasing the duration from 9 to 12 days and expanding the single player draw from 56 to 96 players in 2025, one of its sponsors, the Western & Southern Financial Group, has withdrawn from sponsoring the tournament
Western & Southern Financial Group has been a Cincinnati Masters sponsor since 2021, making it one of the longest-active in tennis.
Why is Western & Southern Financial Group stepping down?
Western & Southern Financial Group is stepping down as title sponsor of Greater Cincinnati’s favorite tennis tournament as part of a deal that kept the Western & Southern Open from relocating to Charlotte. Although the details of future sponsorship changes are murky, Western & Southern CEO John Barrett said he expects the company will end its 22-year run as the tournament’s naming rights holder.
“Those will go for much higher numbers to somebody else, probably not in the region,” Barrett said. “I was just worried about keeping the tournament. So we made it very apparent that we would step back. We would cede the name to the tournament, just to be sure it stayed here.”
Beemok Capital, which bought the Cincinnati Masters tournament from the U.S. Tennis Association in 2022, did not answer questions about the naming rights change. It provided a statement: “We are embarking on a new era for this historic tennis tournament.”
“By investing hundreds of millions and forging new partnerships, we will leverage its storied past and ensure its future as one of the world’s premiere tennis competitions. We look forward to exploring enhancements to this tournament, including the way it’s positioned nationally and internationally, while remaining true to the Cincinnati community and partnerships that made staying here possible,” said Beemok Capital.
Beemok announced Tuesday that it would keep the Cincinnati Masters in Mason after state and local governments promised $130 million in public funding for a $260 million expansion of the Lindner Family Tennis Center near Kings Island. Those promises were made in a non-binding memorandum of understanding approved by Warren County Commissioners Tuesday.
Western & Southern was among five local companies that pledged $10 million in corporate sponsorship for the 2024 tournament, which is expected to undergo a temporary name change as Beemok courts potential naming rights partners for 2025.
The Cincinnati Masters is currently an ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 event, already one of the world’s nine major tournaments where both men and women compete simultaneously. In 2025, it is set to expand from nine to twelve days, featuring 96 players in its singles draw instead of the current 56.
What is Western & Southern Open?
The Cincinnati Masters 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 2024 Western & Southern Open is set to begin on Monday, Aug. 12, and run through Tuesday, Aug. 20. The 2023 edition of the Cincinnati Masters saw Novak Djokovic clinch the title after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Fans can expect to see new players areas, more and bigger tennis courts, and a major overhaul of the main facility by 2025, with some improvements expected as soon as next year.
