Ownership changed hands last August when billionaire Ben Navarro and his company Beemok Capital purchased the competition for an undisclosed amount just a few months after tennis’ primary governing body Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) announced major changes to the Western & Southern Open, including expanding the amount of players and extending the tournament to 12 days starting in 2026.
In its current format, the tournament brings about 180,000 fans to southwest Ohio every year whose lodging, dining and other spending secures about $80 million of economic impact for the region. But, the economic impact of the expanded tournament could jump to $200 million annually, according to Scott Hutchinson, communications director for Warren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
In order to accommodate the expansion, though, major renovations would need to occur at Mason’s Lindner Family Tennis Center, host of the competition since 1979. Beemok Capital estimates that those renovations would cost $150 million — a bill they are unwilling to take on on their own — and have requested $50 million in public funding.
“Right now, at the various levels of government, it’s (about) trying to find ways to come up with public money to help them decrease some of that burden,” said Warren County Economic Director Matt Schnipke, who has been in consistent contact with Beemok Capital and working alongside officials from the state and the City of Mason to keep the tournament local.
The group has made progress on securing those public funds through a variety of means. State Rep. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, secured a provision in the pending state budget that, if fully approved, would send $22.5 million in economic development funds for the site’s renovations. Those funds are contingent upon the tournament staying local for at least another 20 years, but Mathews told the Journal-News that Beemok Capital’s looming investment will likely permanently cement the tournament wherever it ends up being.
For their part, Warren County and the City of Mason have rounded up a collective $25 million for the project. But, the combined state and local levels, so far, fall $2.5 million short of what Beemok asked. Schnipke told the Journal-News that they’re still exploring options to secure the remaining funding.
Local funding efforts have taken new light this week after Beemok Capital officially pitched a proposal to move the tournament to Charlotte and build an all-new, $400 million facility that would be integrated into the city’s west side. Beemok Capital again requested ⅓ of the bill be funded by the public, or about $133.3 million in this case.
Schnipke said that Wednesday’s headlines didn’t shock him and that the proposal doesn’t change how local officials plan to move forward. He told the Journal-News that the tournament’s fate has not been decided yet “by any stretch of the imagination.”
“We’ve always kind of known that we’re going to be in a competitive mode and (that it wasn’t) necessarily a done-deal that it would stay here locally in the Warren County and Cincinnati Area. We’ve known that,” Schnipke said. “From what we are hearing and where we see things right now, it’s definitely not a done-deal that it is leaving. It’s still very much just a possibility.”
When asked about the Wednesday proposal, Beemok Capital said it had “great respect” for Mason, but the company also said it’s “evaluating a number of options” before making major investments in the tournament’s infrastructure.
Schnipke said he remains hopeful that the tournament will stay in Mason and was assured by Beemok Capital that they’re still a front-runner.
“They have told us that they would like to find a scenario to make it work in Mason. Obviously, they’ve got the legacy here, the history (and) the facilities in place, even though they’re gonna need some expansion,” Schnipke said. “Ultimately, they’re looking at making a very very significant investment, either here in Mason or potentially elsewhere. They’re just doing all the due diligence that they need to do when you’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars of investment.”
The tournament, through various iterations and names, has been hosted in the Cincinnati area since its inception back in 1899. This August’s tournament will be its 125th anniversary.
While there’s no official deadline yet for when a decision will be reached, ATP’s plans to host an expanded tournament in 2026 mandate that Beemok Capital acts quickly. Local officials expect to know by the end of the year.
Note: This article was corrected after previously stating Beemok Capital was a firm in North Carolina.
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