The world of tennis is not any stranger to alter, however the current rebranding of the Western & Southern Open—one of many sport’s oldest and most prestigious tournaments—shocked many, together with myself.
After 22 years underneath the Western & Southern identify, the match has reverted to its authentic moniker, the Cincinnati Open.
This alteration, nonetheless, is about greater than only a identify; it displays a broader shift in possession, sponsorship, and the match’s future route.
A Legacy of Western & Southern Sponsorship
Western & Southern Monetary Group, a Cincinnati-based monetary companies agency, has been the title sponsor of the Cincinnati Masters since 2002.
Their identify turned synonymous with the occasion, serving to it turn out to be one of the crucial vital stops on the ATP and WTA excursions. The partnership offered monetary stability and created a collaboration between the match and the local people.
In 2021, Western & Southern prolonged its sponsorship for 3 extra years, set to final till 2024.
Nevertheless, in October 2023, the corporate introduced that it could step again from its title sponsorship to assist safe the match’s future in Cincinnati, paving the best way for a rebrand.
The Function of Beemok Capital and Benjamin Navarro
The choice to rebrand the match because the Cincinnati Open follows Beemok Capital’s acquisition of the occasion from the U.S. Tennis Affiliation (USTA) in 2022.
Beemok, led by Charleston-based businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro, has huge plans for the match.
Initially, there was hypothesis that Beemok would possibly relocate the match to Charlotte, North Carolina, the place Navarro has deep ties.
Nevertheless, after intensive evaluations and contemplating Cincinnati’s followers’ ardour, Beemok determined to maintain the match in its historic house.
Navarro’s dedication to Cincinnati is underscored by a deliberate $260 million funding within the Lindner Household Tennis Middle.
This improve will embrace every thing from a brand new sunken stadium to enhanced participant amenities, all geared toward making the Cincinnati Open a premier vacation spot for tennis.
The eagerness and dedication of this neighborhood to maintain the match right here was an simple consider our choice to remain. Town of Mason, Warren County, the state of Ohio, and a number of company entities demonstrated their unwavering help for the tennis match. This match and its historical past are particular. We’re excited so as to add to its legacy and create a world-class tennis expertise for gamers and followers. Ben Navarro, Beemok Capital
The Rebranding: A Nod to Historical past and a Step In direction of the Future
Returning to the Cincinnati Open identify is each a nod to the match’s historical past and a strategic transfer that aligns with Beemok’s imaginative and prescient for the match’s future.
The match initially carried this identify throughout its first two editions, in 1899 and 1900. The rebrand comes because the occasion approaches its a hundred and twenty fifth anniversary. This transfer is seen as a possibility to rejoice the match’s wealthy historical past whereas setting the stage for its future development.
Western & Southern will proceed to help the match as certainly one of its six “cornerstone” sponsors, alongside different main Cincinnati-based firms like Procter & Gamble, Nice American Insurance coverage, Fifth Third Financial institution, Kroger, and Credit score One Financial institution.
Will the match tackle another naming rights sooner or later? Most likely.
Is the brand new emblem good? Not likely. Utilizing a globe doesn’t correspond to Cincinnati. Does every thing must be international? I a lot want the previous emblem that used the skyline.
What’s Subsequent for the Cincinnati Open?
In 2025, the match will broaden from 9 to 12 days and improve the participant draw from 56 to 96.
Whereas I’m not personally a fan of two-week Masters 1000 tournaments, this growth elevates the occasion’s standing and places it on par with a number of of the opposite premier stops on the worldwide tennis calendar.
The choice to maintain the match in Cincinnati has naturally been met with enthusiasm from followers and native officers alike.
It has additionally been certainly one of my favorite tournaments as a result of court docket pace, the situation and a few of the matches Federer delivered there.
Final 12 months’s remaining between Djokovic and Alcaraz was additionally a match to recollect, so hopefully, the Cincinnati Open will proceed to be a key financial driver for the area, attracting hundreds of tennis followers and offering a world-class sporting expertise for these within the Midwest and past.
What do you assume? Do you just like the rebrand and the brand new emblem?
