Western & Southern Open 2021 by Cincinnati Magazine

2021 RECAPPING

Great Tournament Moments in History

P H OTO G R A P H BY TO N Y WAG N E R / C O M P O S I T E BY E M I V I L L AV I C E N C I O

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 57

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What's New This Year at the Western & Southern Open

MOBILE TICKETING The tournament has switched to digital tickets for 2021. All you will need to remember to take with you is your phone. Transferring tickets to friends, family, and colleagues will be as easy as entering the recipient’s email address or mobile number.

GOING CASHLESS The tournament venue will go cashless for 2021, so have your cards ready! If you are not a card carrier, no problem. Reverse ATMs will be available where cash can be loaded onto gift cards that can be used throughout the grounds.

IMPROVED TOURNAMENT APP The Western & Southern Open app will be the go-to resource during tournament week. Get the latest on the tournament action– from live scores to draws to the practice courts–on the app. Look for exclusive content available on the app to get you closer to the action. The app can also be used to manage digital tickets.

TENNIS CHANNEL ACCESS If you cannot make every session, you can still watch from wherever with the tournament’s new broadcast partnership with Tennis Channel which is now the exclusive home of the tournament.

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CLARA LOUISE ZINKE

Clara Louise Zinke, born in Cincinnati in 1909, would eventually go on to win 12 titles in her hometown’s tennis tournament. She made her first appearance in the women’s singles finals in 1923 during a somewhat unusual tournament. That year, it fell during the funeral of President Warren G Harding, who died of a stroke on Aug. 2, just eight days before the tournament began. The game was stopped for an hour to honor Harding. While Zinke didn’t win the title in 1923, she would return in 1927 to take her first Cincinnati title after beating the tournament's top seed Marion Leighton, ranking second in the nation as a junior girl that year. In 1928, she and fellow Cincinnati native Ruth Oexman won the first of five doubles titles. Two years later, after winning her third title in Cincinnati, she made her eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament's finals, after defeating Ruth Riese. The following year she returned to defeat Riese for her fifth title. Zinke is considered one of 29 all-time No. 1 winning seeds, having remained

either a finalist or champion in women’s singles from 1923 until 1932. She holds the record for the most singles finals appearances and finals appearances playing 10 times and 18 times, respectively. She has the most double titles at six and the most titles ever at 12. She also holds the record for the most consecutive singles finals appearances at 10. — A B BY B A M M ER L I N

HISTO RIC PLAYER RUN S

SERENA WILLIAMS Former world champion in women’s single tennis, Serena Williams first made her appearance in Cincinnati in 2006. She had previously been on a hiatus from the sport after suffering an injury earlier that same year. As the No. 2 seed, she quickly defeated her opponent, Anastasia Myskina, and two other opponents before losing to Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals. She would return to the tournament in 2013, only to fall short of the title win after losing to Victoria Azarenka in the finals. Finally, in 2014, Williams took her first Cincinnati title. The following year, Williams made history when, for the first time since 1938, both the men’s and women’s singles champions were the same from the previous year. Roger Federer took his seventh win and Williams claimed her second after defeating Simona Halep in the finals. She was the top seed in 2014 and 2015 and is considered one of the 29 all-time No. 1 winning seeds. With 10 wins, Williams holds the record for longest winning streak from 2014 and

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2015. She holds the record for winning with the largest age difference in 2015–when she was 33 and her opponent was 23–as well as the records for all time most semifinals and quarter final appearances from 2006-2015. She also holds the second place record for the most wins and matches for women’s singles with 22 wins and 29 matches during the Open Era of tennis.— A . B.

ZINKE PHOTOGRAPH PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN / WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF HOUCHIN

BOBBY RIGGS

Bobby Riggs won the title of men’s singles champion and was a finalist for the men’s doubles during his first appearance at the tournament in 1936. At the time, he was only 18 years old, but he would go on to become not only one of the youngest champions of all time, but several additional successful tournament runs. The 1937, 1938, and 1940 tournaments resulted in more men’s singles champion titles for Riggs, making him one of the players with the most singles titles of all time for these years (including his first tournament in 1936). In 1938, Riggs won another men’s doubles title with tennis partner Charles Hare. Overall, the year proved to be a pivotal one for him as he beat a familiar opponent, Charles Harris, early on in the semifinals of the men’s singles tournament (he beat Harris for the first time in 1936, where he had been Harris’ opponent in the finals round). In his final appearance in 1940, he took home two singles titles as well as a doubles title. Throughout his four years playing in the Cincinnati tourna-

ment, Riggs earned several titles for his overall performances, including one of several players with the highest number of semifinals appearances of all time as well as one of the players with the most total titles for singles, doubles, and mixed. Riggs was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1967. — S A M CI O FFI

HISTO RIC PLAYER RUN S

MATS WILANDER Sweden’s Mats Wilander dominated the tournament in the mid- to late 1980s. In 1983, when he was only 18 years old (one of the youngest champions of all time), he won the men’s singles title. That year, out of six total singles matches he played, he only lost one set. In 1984, Wilander was once again a men’s singles winner, despite playing in six matches and losing two sets. He also ranked 4th that year, compared to his previous 5th spot the year before. From 1983 to 1985, Wilander had one of the longest win streaks for the Open Era, during which professional players and amateurs alike are allowed to compete against one another. Although 1983 and 1984 were particularly strong years for Wilander, he received the finalist title for both men’s singles and doubles in 1985. Boris Becker from Germany defeated him in the final round of men’s singles. Despite this loss, he emerged triumphant in the 1986 and 1988 tournaments by taking the men’s singles title once again. In 1986, with six singles

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matches played, he lost zero sets. Wilander was one of only a handful of players with the most final appearances for singles, doubles, and mixed in a sixyear period (from 1983 to 1988). He was also one of the players with the most all-time total titles throughout those same tournament years. In 2002, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.— S .C .

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

ROGER FEDERER In 2005, a young Swiss player changed the future of the Cincinnati Western & Southern Open when he entered as a top seed, eager to show off his skill. Up-and-coming Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the finals that year with a 6-3, 7-5 win. He was picked as the favorite to win in the 2006 tournament but rising star Scot Andy Murray beat the Swiss Federer in the second round. He redeemed himself the following year when he defeated James Blake in the final and collected his second title in Cincinnati. During his final trophy presentation, Federer commented that he “either loses in the first round here or wins the whole thing,” which he held up to in the following years. In 2009, Federer won a third title when he took down Novak Djokovic. A year later, he became the first player since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win four titles at the tournament. In 2012, he won his fifth title in Cincinnati making him the only player to ever do so. The years 2014 and 2015 granted Federer back-to-back wins when he

claimed his sixth and seventh men’s singles title, taking out Djokovic, his toughest opponent, in 2015. However, a rematch between the two in 2018 resulted in him losing to Djokovic in the finals. Despite the loss, Federer, a proven champion, remains one of the tournament’s most well-known names. —J O R JA B U T T

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PHOTOGRAPH BY JEFF HOUCHIN

RUTH SANDERS CORDES Cincinnati native Ruth Sanders Cordes (right) entered the Open in 1913 as a singles player after being a tennis champion at the University of Cincinnati, from which she graduated from in 1912. The young schoolteacher built on her winning 1911 doubles performance (with partner Helen Ratterman), scoring her first singles career title that year. When the tournament was moved to Indianapolis in 1914, she represented her hometown and brought the women’s singles title back to the Queen City. In 1917, she returned to the sport where she played in the National Clay Court Championship in Cincinnati. That year, she won the women’s singles title, women’s doubles title, and the mixed doubles title with her fiancé, Howard Cordes. Cordes brought home her fourth singles title in 1920 at the Open when she played in the tournament hosted in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When the tournament returned to the city in 1922, she was finally able to play in her hometown again, where she easily won her fifth

women’s singles title that year. She was a women’s single finalist the year after, in 1923, marking her final appearance in the tournament. After winning a five singles titles throughout her career in the tournament (in addition to several doubles titles), she was posthumously inducted into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 to commemorate her passion and drive for the sport.—J. B.

HISTO RIC PLAYER R UN S

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 67

VICTORIA AZARENKA At 31 years old, Victoria Azarenka has been crowned champion of the Western & Southern Open’s singles tournament twice. Her professional career in tennis started in 2003, when she was just 14 years old, and by 20, she had experience playing on ITF Circuit in Israel and participating in several other tournaments around the world. It wasn’t until 2009 that she made her first appearance in the Open. During her first tournament, she managed to make it three rounds yet fell short against Jelena Jankovic. Despite her loss, her drive persisted, and she came back for the following year, only making it one round in the singles but claiming victory in the doubles with partner Maria Kirilenko. Following a two-year hiatus from the tournament, in which time Azarenka had climbed the women’s rankings to No. 1 in 2012, she came back in 2013 to claim her first singles victory against Serena Williams. She returned to the Western & Southern Open’s singles tournament three times in the years following, placing third

in 2015 and second in 2018 and 2019. When she came back in 2020, she made it to the second round of the doubles and claimed a win of the singles yet again after Naomi Osaka had to step down from their final match because of a hamstring injury. She completed the year strong, finishing with a win-loss record of 18-6 and ranking at No. 13 by the end of the 2020 tour. — EMMA BALCOM

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NOVAK DJOKOVIC Novak Djokovic is currently the No. 1 seed for the Association of Tennis Professionals and record-holder for most weeks to hold that title (more than 300). His involvement in the Open includes 15 years of participation that began at age 18, just two years after the start of his professional career in 2003. During his first year in 2005, he claimed a loss in the first round of the singles matches but made it to the second in 2006. That year also marked his first entry into the doubles alongside partner Fernando Verdasco, yet he was beaten again in the first round. In 2007, he continued his upward climb in the rankings of the tournament, making it to the second round of the singles and the quarterfinals of the doubles with partner Nenad Zimonjic, but was overtaken by Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram. After that year, Djokovic did not participate in the doubles again for more than a decade, but his commitment to the singles matches persisted for years. He was a part of the tournament every year until 2015, making it to the finals

five times in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Yet it wasn’t until 2018, after taking two years off from the tournament, that he secured his first win against Roger Federer. In 2020, he secured another win, this time against Milos Raonic.— E.B.

HISTO RIC PLAYER R UN S

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Remember the Times A historical look back at the Western & Southern Open. BY M. LEI G H H O O D Before the Carew Tower rose to dominate the city skyline, and long before “skyline” became synonymous with chili, Cincinnati had another tradition: tennis. In 1899, the Avondale Athletic Club hosted the first of what would become one of the longest-running tennis tournaments in America.

2018

WE’RE OPEN The first Cincinnati Open–now known as the Western & Southern Open–attracted players from across the country to compete in what could’ve easily been a closed, state-only event. Instead, the number of men’s singles competitors that participated rivaled that of the National Championships. Thousands turned out to see the weekend’s competition, picturesquely framed by Avondale’s rolling hills. Some of the best prizes came from Rookwood Pottery, proof that the tournament was a very Cincinnati affair from the beginning. Nat Emerson, the first men’s champion, took home an ale set valued at $150. The first women’s champion, Myrtle McAteer, won a $100 vase. COUPLE’S DOUBLE In 1945, with WWII still looming large and taking eligible a number of male players to the battlefield, referees determined there was no rule banning women from competing alongside men in a doubles draw. Palfrey Cooke made history by reaching the men’s doubles finals with her husband, Elwood Cooke. GOING PRO The tournament turned professional in 1969. It added prize money and took on a new name, becoming the Western Tennis Championships. MEN’S ONLY The women’s events disappeared in 1974, and for decades, the Western Tennis Championships would be a male-only competition. Women’s events did not return until 2004. RECORD BREAKERS Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, seating and attendance grew, smashing audience records time and time again. WHAT’S IN A NAME? Another name arrived in 2000: Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati. It didn’t last long, though. In 2002, the tournament changed names again to the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.

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CLAY NATION Just as it shouldn’t be surprising that a region so rich in clay embraced the drama on the clay court, it’s little wonder how much local flavor seeped into the tournament over its 122-year history. When the tourney first adopted the idea of cups, they chose traditional metal chalices. Although these trophies came from generous donations bestowed by Cincinnati industry leaders, like Procter & Gamble, they weren’t a pure reflection of the city. Since 2010, Rookwood has designed and crafted The Champion’s Trophy, or Rookwood Cup. The hand-painted pottery vessel stands out in victors’ collections, as unique a fixture in the world of tennis championships as the Open that awards it.

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TITANIC TRIUMPH Richard Norris Williams II witnessed his father’s death on the Titanic, floated partially submerged for six hours, refused amputation of his legs aboard the Carpathia, and played in the 1912 Tri-State Tennis Tournament just three months later. AWAY GAMES The Western & Southern Open is the oldest American tennis tournament still held in its city of origin. Since 1899, the event has only been held outside of Greater Cincinnati five times. It hadn’t left town since 1922–until last year when it was relocated to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It isn’t the first time a national crisis has interrupted the event. The Great Depression pushed organizers to skip a year in 1935, and several times competing tennis matches pushed it into Indiana. The Western & Southern Open is a continuing story. It’s grown with the region, showcasing some of the area’s most unique treasures, and embraces the sporting tradition that began on clay and brick dust. Men and women overcame personal and international disasters to play the game, and war and loss made room for patriotic problem-solving. Although it’s ongoing, the tournament is a success story. As records grow and break–both on and off the court–it continues to build on its roots of longevity and good sportsmanship.

1900 1945 1999 2020

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 71

Around Town

This iconic tournament, which put the Queen City on the map in the tennis world, has had nine different homes in the Greater Cincinnati area since its inception. BY A N N A S O FI A S CH E V E 1. AVONDALE ATHLETIC CLUB, EVANSTON Now home to the Cintas Center at Xavier University, this was the site of the first tournament in 1899, which was then known as the Cincinnati Open. Because of its status as an “open” tournament, competitors from across the country were allowed to play. 2. CINCINNATI TENNIS CLUB, EVANSTON The newly named Tri-State Tennis Tournament moved from Avondale Athletic Club to this location in 1903. Founded in 1880 and still active today, the Cincinnati Tennis Club is one of the oldest tennis clubs in the nation. 3. HYDE PARK TENNIS CLUB, HYDE PARK After four years in Indiana, the tournament returned to the Queen City in 1922 and took up residence at this spot. It was here in 1926 that two future Hall of Famers would compete against each other – Bill Tilden and George Lott. 4. KENWOOD COUNTRY CLUB, KENWOOD Unfortunately, weather conditions rained on the festivities’ parade here in 1934 and the men’s and women’s doubles final had to be determined by coin flip. Rain also forced the singles finals to be held at the Cincinnati Tennis Club. 5. BOYD CHAMBERS COURTS, CLIFTON HEIGHTS In 1967, The Cincinnati Professional Tennis Championship was held simultaneously with the Tri-State Tennis Tournament at the University of Cincinnati’s Boyd B. Chambers Courts, becoming the world’s first tennis event for both amateurs and professionals. This was also the first

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1899

4 5

1 2

only matches. This location also saw another tournament first – all matches were played indoors. The prime downtown spot generated more interest in midday matches which brought in lunchtime crowds.

1976

time the tournament was played on a hardcourt. 6. QUEEN CITY RACQUET CLUB, SHARONVILLE The tournament moved here in 1972, where it held matches at night for the first time. Every title winner that year would later become Hall of Fame members. Despite growing attendance numbers, a fundraiser was held before the 1973 tournament here to try to offset financial hardship. 7. CINCINNATI CONVENTION CENTER, DOWNTOWN In 1974, two “supreme” courts were built at the convention center, where for the first time, the tournament held men-

8. OLD CONEY SUNLITE SWIM & TENNIS CLUB, ANDERSON TOWNSHIP In 1975, the tournament moved to this location on the Ohio River, where six new hard courts were created. This period saw a huge increase in sponsors such as The Cincinnati Enquirer and Taft Broadcasting with Paul Flory of P&G serving as its new director. 9. LINDNER FAMILY TENNIS COURT, MASON At the same time the tournament changed its name to the “ATP Championship” in 1979, its location changed again. This Mason facility, which would become the tournament’s permanent home, has undergone numerous expansions since 1979, including four stadiums with 16 courts.

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MISSION TO MASON Welcome Home This year the City of Mason celebrated a marvel of scientiﬁc discovery as our own L Harris technology landed on Mars Part of the rich portfolio of technology life sciences and advanced manufacturing companies who call Mason home L Harris put Mason on an entirely new map As our footprint grows from Mason to New York City to even Mars one thing we know for certain – there’s no place like home We can’t wait to again experience the energy passion and heart of the players and fans who travel from around the world for outstanding tennis There’s nothing like the roar of the crowd to make it feel like August in Mason Welcome home

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REMEMBERING TONY TRABERT The local tennis player was a legend on and off the court. BY On Feb. 3, Bond Hill native Tony Trabert passed away at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. He was 90 years old. Born Marion Anthony Trabert on Aug. 16, 1930, his introduction to tennis came at Bond Hill Park, which sat at the end of his childhood street. At the age of six, he started hitting balls on the park’s clay tennis courts. When many of the city’s best players came around for an after-work match, Trabert looked for any opportunity to be a ball boy or to run other errands for them. If anyone showed up early, he would hit a few balls with the adult players. At 12, Trabert met fellow Cincinnatian and future Hall of Famer Bill Talbert, who decided to take him under his wing, thus beginning a lifelong friendship. After graduating from Walnut Hills High School, he attended the University of Cincinnati. During his second year there, Talbert invited him to travel to Europe as his doubles partner. The duo found quick success, claiming the 1950 French Open among their titles together that season. Trabert returned to UC, winning the 1951 Intercollegiate singles title before defeating Talbert at the Tri-State Tennis Tournament. After serving two years in the Navy Reserve,

PE TE H O LTERM A N N

Trabert would go on to win the second of his two Tri-State titles before winning his first singles Major at the U.S. Championship in Forest Hills. In 1954, he added a second Grand Slam tournament singles title at the French Open. A five-time member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, Trabert played 23 tournaments, winning 18 singles and more than a dozen titles with a record of 106-7 in one of the greatest single seasons in tennis history in 1955. The success landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated in August of that year. After that sensational season, he went pro, playing with the Jack Kramer tour until 1963. Late in his touring days, he would help Kramer run the tour. Upon retirement, he began a three-decade career as a broadcaster covering tennis and golf for CBS Sports. Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970, he served as that organization's president from 2001 to 2011. In 2006, UC recognized him as well as his friend and mentor by naming its new tennis facility after them (Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center). The following year, he was honored alongside former Bearcat basketball great Oscar Robertson with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

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GIVING BACK Charitable partnerships at the Western & Southern Open. BY With nearly 77,000 hours spent working on 32 committees, more than 1,300 volunteers from 28 states and five countries enable the tournament to extend its reach well beyond the tournament week by making it possible for the Western & Southern Open and Tennis for Charity to make annual contributions to Cincinnati-based organizations. Over the years, nearly $12 million has been donated to the tournament’s three beneficiaries–Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the Barrett Cancer Center and Tennis for City Youth. In 1974, the tournament reached out to Children’s about becoming the

PE TE H O LTER M A N N

event’s first official beneficiary, which has resulted in nearly $10 million of contributions from the tournament to the hospital in the last 47 years. “After a lot of discussion, they decided, ‘Okay, we’ll be your beneficiary,’” explains former W&S Open CEO Elaine Bruening. “And what a smart decision.” Beyond the financial support, the tournament annually organizes for several players to visit with hospital patients each August. “I think the players enjoy it,” says Ken Berry, CEO of Tennis for Charity. “Any player that I have ever talked to that has been in the hospital has been very excited about the opportunity.” In 1991, the Western & Southern Open added a seniors event. With the additional play, Tournament Director Paul Flory wanted to also add another beneficiary and insisted on choosing an organization that had ties to tennis. Thus began the tournament’s support for Tennis for City Youth, an organization that puts on National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) programming throughout Greater Cincinnati, contributing nearly $1 million in 30 years. The Barrett Cancer Center became a beneficiary in 2004, and it has received $1.5 million in funds, including last year when the tournament made a $100,000 donation to recognize the continued support of the Western & Southern Financial Group, who has been title sponsor of the tournament since 2002.

FAMILIAR FAC ES

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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN 2021 // 75

By the Numbers CHALLENGED 144 OVERTURNED

sixteen

531

CALLS

5,464

*All numbers are from the 2019 Western & Southern Open Wrap Up Report

food vendors

EIGHT HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE

CALLS

coneys sold

cups of coffee brewed in the media center

7,231

slices of pizza consumed

77,000

states hours of donated volunteers time by call home volunteers

32,681 scoops of ice cream enjoyed

1,462

fifty Seven

RACQUETS

musical acts

STRUNG

198,044

attendance (second highest in tournament history)

2,000 pounds of cheese sampled at Cheeses of Europe

countries volunteers call home

ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE

VOLUNTEERS

sessions sold out (a tournament record)

210 4,722 503

matches

games

sets

47 Nations REPRESENTED

AMONG PLAYERS

FOUR THOUSAND FORTY-FOUR TENNIS

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BALLS USED

FIVE

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