Now that the Cincinnati Open, formerly known as the Western Open
And thanks to a comprehensive upgrade, the tournament means it all. Expect upgrades to the main stadiums, a new sunken pitch in the extended southern component of the venue, a renovation of the entire pitch and more than doubling the area for players.
“We’re elevating the whole site to a point of excellence,” Jansen Dell, director of capital projects for the Cincinnati Open, tells me. “We are taking the opportunity to take advantage of all existing amenities and fan experience, looking at the campus holistically. “
The annual August tennis tournament, a key step in the run-up to the US Open, will move in 2025 from a 56-player draw to a 96-player draw. The combination of commitment to Ohio and the desire to accommodate more players and enthusiasts has led to nearly doubling the number of courts and more than doubling the area for player equipment.
The 2024 tournament will offer a small glimpse into the full update of the site, designed by Gensler, but will take off between the 2024 and 2025 events. The renewed delight of the fans begins on the pitches and ends in the stadiums.
“One of the themes is tennis in a park,” Kristin Byrd, architect and design director at Gensler, tells me. “What we need to do is infuse that landscape into the campus itself, seeing in it much greener than has been seen so far. done. “
The park-like setting is complemented by a complete renovation of the food court with new landscaping and shade designs. A new sponsorship plaza will feature a giant covered shade arrangement at the north end of campus, which will also serve as a home for a guard dog. Plaza in the center of it all. On the sides are more permanent-style sponsor bleachers, with court 10, a sponsors’ court, adjacent. “This is a new room with the logo that provides height and hierarchy to this component of the campus,” Byrd says.
Dell says the tournament is fortunate to be able to expand on a giant scale, allowing it to expand west and south. This southward extension includes a new frontage leading to a sunken 2000-seat lot, which will be the fourth largest lot on the site. “It’s completely sunk into the ground,” Byrd says. You approach it, approach it from above, and look down. It’s an impressive anchor for the new southern component of the campus. “
A new food and beverage plaza at the Cincinnati Open in 2025 will provide more space and shade.
New practice courts line the sides of the sunken design, as a component of the expansion from 17 courts in 2023 to 31 courts in total in 2025. With practice courts in the northwest and southern parts of the site, the southern segment includes 10 clustered courts that allow enthusiasts to gather around the perimeter. Two other “playgrounds” are immersed in a park-like landscape.
Already in 2024, fans will see some renovations to the centre court and grandstand with changes to the bowling alley and new seating in a new neutral and white colourway, a design that will be available on-site until 2025.
New for the larger stadiums of the year 2025 is a new façade made of a ribbon of steel panels, which connects the two venues. Byrd calls it a “fluid design,” undeniable and sublime. We do it additively and leave things blank,” he says. “The façade was intended to localize fluidity and dynamic movement in a sublime way. “
The cool facades of the two main courtyards give the structures greater prominence in the overall terrain. Entrances, landscaping, smaller courts, player and fan buildings such as sponsors and caterers all serve to create sight lines to the larger venues of the venue. .
A new 56,000-square-foot construction will more than double those reserved for players until the 2025 Cincinnati Open begins.
Dell says the fan experience and the tournament have remained vigilant about preserving and editing intimacy with players. “We’re not going to make the box underneath too big,” he says, “and we’re going to make sure that really big players play in very localized boxes. “
Another key feature of the Cincinnati Open is Midwestern hospitality, according to Dell. “We’ve been very careful in trying to maintain this and not only create the most modern tennis facilities, but also to do it in a very comfortable and welcoming way, from the architecture to the signage,” he says. “We need to make sure it’s a comfortable experience. “
The design team and owners of the tournament, Beemok Capital, were inspired by visits from around the world, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, to infuse elements from the 4 Slam venues and Indian Wells to “really take it to the next point and give the players the best quality”. revel in what they deserve,” Byrd says.
An updated north front is in the works for the 2025 Cincinnati Open.
Players will also enjoy a completely revamped experience. A new 56,000-square-foot logoed clubhouse design will open next to the existing player space, doubling the areas committed for players. The new design will include hospitality elements, adding restaurants, an oversized player lounge, quiet upstairs spaces and a terrace.
The move to the new construction allows for a complete overhaul of the existing Paul Flory Player Center, keeping the men in the box and redoing the upper ground for the women. A third point will include an expanded gymnasium.
The new clubhouse will be active year-round. The dining room becomes a place to eat and with six new pickleball courts, two new paddle tennis courts and a covered construction with six tennis courts that can serve as 12 pickleball courts, the tournament expects the entire network to visit the site throughout the year.
Building on a partnership with the City of Mason, Warren County and Ohio, operations at an adjacent golf course will also move to the new clubhouse.
With roughly $240 million worth of paintings planned over a roughly 11-month period from when the doors close for the 2024 event to when they open in 2025, Byrd knows this is an ambitious undertaking. “It’s 50 small projects within one big project. “”It will be a complete transformation of the campus that will be exciting and propel the tournament into the future. “
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