By Betsy M. Ross

 

Welcome to the first day of action at the Western & Southern Open! Whether this is your first visit to the Lindner Family Tennis Center or you’re a veteran of the tournament, we think you’ll like how the Tennis Center is ready to welcome the world to Mason, Ohio for the next 10 days of world-class tennis.

 

There’s a lot to talk about at the tournament, so every day we’ll find one feature that we’ll highlight here that we hope will make your visit a lot more enjoyable. Today, that feature is probably one of the first things visitors will notice when they enter the Tennis Center--the enhanced food court area.

 

The food court is actually the third phase of the renovations that visitors have noticed over the last three years—the first phase was the renovated press and players’ area, the second was last year’s expanded courts and main entrance construction, and the food court completes this renovation project.

 

And what a project it is! More than twice the space and a lot more shade, the food court offers a welcome rest stop between matches for visitors to grab a bite to eat and relax before their next session. Spacious and comfortable with tables and chairs, trees and umbrellas, the food court is where you’ll meet your friends before or after tennis.

 

But the main attraction is the food at the food court, and this year you’ll find some old favorites as well as new flavors to try. The Skyline Chili tent will be busy, as well as the LaRosa’s Pizza booth, but you can also tempt your tastebuds with fare from other local restaurants like Fusian sushi or ice cream from United Dairy Farmers. Taste of Belgium, J Gumbos, Hot Head Burrito and more are among the 14 stops at the food court that you can try during your stay. A complete list of the vendors at the Food Court is included in our Fan Guide.

 

But there’s much more than just food at the Food Court. We’ll talk about that on Sunday as we travel Around the Grounds!