QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GENERAL QUESTIONS
BAG POLICY
View our complete Bag Policy and restrictions on what you can and cannot bring here.
BALLKIDS
Ball kid tryouts for the 2023 Western & Southern Open will be held in early June. More information about how to become a ball kid is forthcoming.
A child must be at least 12 years old to be a ball kid. Call the tournament (513-651-0303) for more information or to receive a packet on volunteering as a ball kid. Click here for more information.
CAMERAS
Personal cameras, video cameras, or recording devices larger than 4” x 14” x 8” are prohibited without Media Credential.
CHILDREN
Children over the age of 12 months require a ticket.
CREDENTIALS
For information on applying for media credentials, please contact the tournament at media@cincytennis.com. Notification of confirmed or denied credentials will be made in writing.
DATES
The men's and women's events run simultaneously, August 12 - 20, 2023.
DISABILITY ACCESS
Seating
If you are in need of wheelchair or disability seating, please let us know when you are placing your ticket order and we will do our best to accommodate your party. If you have already placed your order and are now in need of disability seating, please call us at 513-651-0303 or see the ticket office at the North Entrance during the tournament and we will do our best to accommodate your party.
Parking
Disability parking is accessible to anyone with a disability placard. Simply display it from your rearview mirror and the parking attendants will direct you to the appropriate lot. There are also shuttles with drop off and pick up points marked by white tents to help patrons to and from the gates. If you do not have a parking placard but need to drop a member of your party at the gates, you can do so by driving up to the taxi drop-off and pick-up located by the north entrance. Tell the parking attendants that you are dropping someone off at the taxi drop-off and pick-up and they will allow you up to that location.
DISCOUNTS
A "$4-off" discount is provided to members of the USTA for several sessions, and large groups are given discounts for certain sessions. Please call the tournament (513-651-0303) for information on discounts.
DRAWS
The draw is made the same way at every tournament. First, the seeds (the highest-ranked players in the draw) are placed in the draw (No. 1 on the first line, No. 2 on the last line and then the others in alternating order on pre-determined lines). Once the seeds are in place, the other players are drawn at random and placed on the empty lines -- starting at the top and going down the draw until it is filled. At this tournament, the draw is made the day before the tournament starts.
ENTRY TIMES
11:00 AM day session ticket holders are allowed into the grounds starting at 10:00 AM.
7:00 PM evening session ticket holders are allowed into the grounds starting at 5:00 PM.
Semifinals session 14: Gates open at 10:00 AM
Semifinals session 15: Gates open at 5:00 PM
Finals: Gates open at 11:00 AM
No Day session tickets AFTER 5pm, No Night session tickets BEFORE 5pm
FIRST AID
If you are in need of first aid, head to the First Aid center located on the South end of Stadium Three/North end of the food court.
GROUNDS PASSES
A grounds pass is a ticket that allows the holder to enter the Lindner Family Tennis Center and gain access to all public areas of the grounds EXCEPT for Center Court. All other match and practice courts have open (non-assigned) seating that a grounds pass holder is permitted to occupy. In order to sit in Center Court, a regular ticket with a Center Court seat assignment must be purchased.
A grounds pass is not needed in addition to a regular Center Court ticket. Access to all other courts and public areas of the grounds is included with a regular Center Court ticket.
Grounds passes typically do not go on sale until late July/early August. If you wish to be notified when grounds passes go on sale, sign up for our emails at the bottom of the website where it says 'Know everything first’.
HOTELS
Yes. The tournament has formed alliances with several excellent hotels near the tournament site, offering special rates for fans. Information on all these hotels is here. Call the tournament housing coordinator at 513-651-0303 for more information or to book a room.
KIDS DAY
Kids Day, presented by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, will be held Saturday, August 12 and is open to all kids and their families. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!
LINDNER FAMILY TENNIS CENTER
The Lindner Family Tennis Center and the venues for the four Grand Slams are the only venues in tennis with more than two permanent stadiums. Cincinnati has four permanent stadiums: Center Court (capacity: 11,435), Grandstand Court (capacity: 5,000), Court #3 (capacity: 3,500) and Court #9 (capacity: 2,500). All four have lights to allow for night play. The site has a total of 16 courts and matches may be played on up to eight of those courts (depending on the day and the tightness of the schedule).
LOCATION
It can be seen from Interstate 71, directly across from Kings Island, about 30 minutes northeast of downtown Cincinnati. It's about one hour from Columbus, Ohio, and about 30 minutes from Dayton, Ohio. Click here for detailed directions, or try google maps.
Lindner Family Tennis Center
5460 Courseview Drive
Mason, OH 45040
LUGGAGE
Luggage check is not available at the tournament. Please make other arrangements to get your luggage to your accommodations if you happen to be coming directly from the airport.
METAL DETECTORS
Please be advised that metal detectors will be stationed at all entry gates around the grounds. Please wear travel friendly clothing and know that all guests will be asked to empty their pockets and pass through the detector.
ONE TICKET, ONE SESSION
You will need a ticket to attend each session. Please be prepared to present your ticket to the usher for entry to Center Court.
Your day session ticket is only valid during the day session and your evening session ticket is only valid during the evening session. If you have an evening session ticket and would also like to attend the day session, you will have to purchase a day session ticket and vice versa.
OUTSIDE COURTS
The Lindner Family Tennis Center has 16 courts, and matches are generally played on several of those courts. When you buy a ticket, you buy a reserved seat on Center Court, but you also are free to watch matches on other courts. Generally, matches are played on other courts until the Friday night session. On Friday night, Saturday day, Saturday night and Sunday, matches are only played on Center Court and Grandstand. (Note: A "grounds pass" ticket does not provide a seat on Center Court, but does allow you access to the other courts. Grounds passes are sold only after all reserved tickets are sold.)
Depending on the day, matches may be played on up to seven or eight courts.
PARKING
If you have a North Lot, South Lot, or Diamond Lot parking pass, please display it from your rearview mirror upon your arrival.
Parking in the public parking lot is free and included with your ticket. Parking attendants will direct you to the appropriate lot upon your arrival.
If you are interested in purchasing a parking pass, please call the tournament ticket office at 513-651-0303.
RV Parking
RV Parking is allowed while you are attending the event however, we DO NOT permit overnight parking. We recommend checking out our neighbors Kings Island RV park here.
Click here to view the parking map.
PLAYERS
Players in the world's top 44 get directly into the main draw. Seven spots in the draw are filled by qualifiers -- those players who successfully win two matches during the qualifying matches on the Saturday and Sunday prior to the start of the main draw. Four spots are filled by "wild cards," granted at the tournament's discretion. And one spot is left open in case a player who would have had to qualify reaches the semifinals at ATP Masters Canada (played the week before Cincinnati). (Why? That player can't play qualifying in Cincinnati if they’re still playing in Canada, and reaching the semifinal of a ATP Masters Series event should be enough to get you in the next big event. It's called the "special exempt rule.")
That makes a total of 56 -- 44 direct acceptances, 7 qualifiers, 4 wild cards and 1 special exempt.
The tournament will not know specific names of players who have committed to the event until early July, at which point the list will be posted on the website.
PRACTICE COURTS
Some courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center were built specifically as practice courts. Watching practice has become a real fan favorite because fans can get so close to the stars and see them in a relaxed environment. An electronic board near the player entrance (on the west side of the Lindner Family Tennis Center) updates fans on who is practicing on which courts. Because the practice courts are inside the grounds, you must have a valid ticket to watch practice sessions.
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PROHIBITED ITEMS
For a complete list of prohibited items click here.
RAIN POLICY
Single Session Ticket Rain Policy
If a Center Court match is completed OR 90 total minutes of play has taken place on Center Court during any one session, no exchanges or refunds will be made*. If a session is cancelled without the completion of one full match on Center Court OR 90 total minutes of play on Center Court, the owner is entitled to a ticket at the same price level for the same session the following year. Only the original purchaser (purchased directly from the tournament office, Ticketmaster, or Ticketmaster verified resale) of the ticket may apply, within 15 days of the cancelled session. Complimentary, series, boxes, suites, hospitality/tent, all inclusive, sponsor and third party resale tickets WILL NOT be exchanged. This policy applies to any Court where single session tickets are separately sold.
*If a weather delay or acts beyond tournament control causes matches to be rescheduled to start after 7PM on Center Court, the day session will be deemed complete and matches starting at 7PM or later will be considered night session matches.
The complete tournament rain policy may be found at wsopen.com/terms.
Patrons are advised that the schedule of play as well as session dates, number of matches, and starting times are subject to change for all sessions. Tickets are not eligible for exchange due to one or more changes in the schedule of play. Tournament officials reserve the right to determine when a session begins, ends, is delayed or postponed.
Mobile ticket holders must email proof of purchase to tickets@cincytennis.com within 15 days of the cancelled session to receive a ticket exchange. Only the original purchaser of the ticket (purchased directly from the tournament office, Ticketmaster, or Ticketmaster verified resale) may apply.
SCHEDULE
The schedule is made with input from the Tours, the players, television, and the tournament. The international television broadcasters often request certain matches be played on courts from which they can broadcast. The tournament makes requests based on what it feels is in the best interest of the fans.
The draws are made the Friday before the tournament starts and will be published online immediately following the conclusion of the draw ceremony.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, the first and second rounds will be played Sunday (men's only), Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The round of 16 is completed on Thursday, the quarterfinals are played on Friday, the semifinals are played on Saturday and the finals are played on Sunday. Click here to see an explanation.
SEATING
Center Court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center is divided into three levels: The box level, the loge level, and the terrace level. The box level, the loge level and the first five rows of the terrace level are for fans who are buying tickets for the entire tournament, not just one or a few sessions. Also, there are waiting lists for the box and loge levels. However, please keep in mind that the Center Court stadium was specifically built for tennis and seats only 11,435 -- so even the last row provides a great view of the action. Also keep in mind that the earlier you order tickets, the lower your seats will be in the terrace level. All seating in Center Court, Grandstand, and Stadium 3 has a seat back or a bench back.
SESSIONS
On the tournament schedule page (Click here), you'll find the start times of each session. There are no definite session-ending times, as all sessions last until the matches for that session are completed or the session is determined to be completed (due to rain or other circumstance). In general, the sessions which start at 11 a.m. usually last until about 5 p.m., and the sessions which start at 7 p.m. usually last until approximately 11 p.m. Again, ending times are dependent on the length of the matches scheduled for that session. (Gates open one hour before each session starts.)
STADIUM & VENUE ACCESSIBILITY
The Lindner Family Tennis Center does not have wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers available for rent. There is elevator access to the upper levels of Grandstand and Center Court. An usher will be able to direct you to the elevator closest to your seats. The Lindner Family Tennis Center does not have a wheelchair concierge service to physically assist guests around the grounds. If you need assistance, we strongly recommend bringing your own assistive device as well another person to accompany you.
TV
The 2023 Western & Southern Open will be broadcasted on the Tennis Channel domestically. Audiences can tune in to the Tennis Channel or watch on various networks in 189 countries around the world. Please consult your local listings for air times. Also fans can log on to TennisTV.com to watch matches.
TENTS AND SUITES
Tents and suites at the tournament are excellent ways to host a group of clients, customers, or even friends and family at this world-class event. Contact Ben Baumeister at bbaumeister@cincytennis.com to learn more.
UMBRELLAS
Umbrellas are allowed in the grounds but are not permitted to be open in the stands during match-play.
VOLUNTEERING
Call the tournament (513-651-0303) and volunteer information will be emailed to you providing all the details and a list of committees needing volunteers.
WIFI
Free fan WIFI is available across all 20 acres of the W&S Open. The locked wifi networks are only for use by tournament officials.
Can’t find what you are looking for?
For general information regarding the Western & Southern Open, please email info@cincytennis.com or call (513) 651-0303