A TASTE OF WHAT’S NEW AT THE WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

It’s a full day for fans at the Western & Southern Open, who spend an average of six hours on site per visit. While there is plenty of world-class tennis to watch across 17 courts, fans have an array of activities, music, food and drinks to enjoy in between matches.

This year’s tournament is only 10 days and a few hours away, running from Aug. 13-21, and features global stars such as Venus and Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios. The breath-taking power and entertainment on the court is just the beginning of a day at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

The place to be seen this year will be the new Top Deck, located on the Mezzanine Level at Center Court overlooking the food court. Bars featuring Maestro Dobel Tequila and its official tournament cocktail, the Ace Paloma, MadTree Brewing’s local craft beers, and Veroni Italian charcuterie with Aperol Spritz make it a must-visit.

The Western & Southern Open hosts 15 restaurants, many of which are local to Cincinnati, to complement the on-site concession stands with a variety of options. Those dining locations include fan favorites such as FlipSide Burger, Fusian, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Kala Greek Grill, LaRosa Pizzeria, Mazunte, Philly Pretzel Factory, Prime, Firehouse Subs, Skyline Chili, Street City Pub and Bru Brothers Coffee. New this year are Chicken Salad Chick, Hunny Bee’s and Planet Smoothie.

Part of the fun at the Western & Southern Open is hanging out with friends at one of the signature bar areas. This year’s locations to catch up with friends include the Kim Crawford Wine Garden, Michelob Ultra Legends Bar, Moet Champagne Bar and Northside Distillery Co. New this year is NUTRL, available just north of Center Court in the Partner Plaza and across the grounds.

Many fans enjoy the nearly nonstop program of musical acts at the Motorola Edge Stage every day of the tournament, located in the heart of the Food Court. With 24 scheduled acts covering country, folk, jazz, rock and more there is something for every musical taste. Bands Willie Nelson Mandala, The Sunburners and the Annette Shepard Trio will perform on championship weekend.

While fans move around between the courts, they will find plenty of shops to browse in. At the south end of the Food Court is Tennis Point, the Official Retail Partner of the Western & Southern Open. This 14,000 square foot store offers a wide selection of Western & Southern Open gear, including official FILA tournament merchandise. In addition, this store offers rackets and apparel so fans can get some of the same equipment they are seeing the pros use on court. North of the stadium is the Partner Plaza where fans can shop for jewelry, sunglasses, apparel and more.

Located just inside the south entrance adjacent to the Grandstand Court is the new Grand Courtyard. Designed with fans of all ages in mind, the Grand Courtyard will feature outdoor lounge seating near big screens for match viewing, interactive entertainment experiences, a pop-up bar, Courtyard Conversations, Pups and Players, tournament trivia and product sampling. Fans can add to a Paint by Number mural presented by ArtWorks, take a photo with a replica trophy at Rookwood Pottery, compete in a tennis challenge hosted by USTA Midwest or the Porsche Car Challenge and play on the Medical Mutual Mini Courts. Fans can also relax in the shade or kick back in an Adirondack chair with a Kim Crawford drink or Graeter’s ice cream cup in hand. Every day’s experience will be different, giving fans a reason to continue coming back to see what’s new and exciting.

Another new activity to try this year, free to all fans, is TrueTennisVR, a virtual reality system that could help improve fans’ tennis skills. It was first tested in Cincinnati and now comes to the city’s biggest tennis event. TrueTennisVR will be located in the Partner Plaza near the north entrance. While there, get player autographs at the Western & Southern Experience and visit a variety of retailers.

The tournament’s first serve will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 13 for the qualifying rounds. The men’s and women’s singles finals will be played on Sunday, Aug. 21. The schedule is available here.

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Individual daily tickets for all sessions are on sale now. Multi-day ticket packages are sold out. Information about available tickets can be found at wsopen.com/tickets.

The Western & Southern Open is one of five events in the world to hold concurrent ATP Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 tournaments. Part of the US Open Series, it is held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.