A Guide to Cincinnati's Elite US Open Series Men's Tennis Tournament

'The Greatest Road Trip in Sports' consists of 200 of the world's top professional tennis players competing in 10 tournaments, in 6 weeks, for $30 million, during the 2007 US Open Series. This will be Cincinnati's 109th year hosting elite tennis when the top men in the world compete in the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters from August 10 to 19, 2007.

The expected U.S. Number 1 seed, Andy Roddick, will attempt to repeat his 2006 victory at the same tournament and become the first player since Andre Agassi to win three singles titles in Cincinnati. Roddick will face tough competition from Roger Federer who won in the ATP Masters Series in Cincinnati in 2005 and who is currently ranked Number 1 in the world. Number 2 in the world, Rafael Nadal, and many other top-ranked men's tennis champions such as Andy Murray, Richard Gasquet, and Novak Djokovic will also be stiff contenders.

A Seniors Tournament will be also played as part of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters. Teams for this doubles event will be announced just before the two evening sessions, beginning at 7pm on both Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11, 2007.

For a schedule of the Western and Southern Financial Group Masters tournament tennis matches click here. The first and second rounds are expected to be played earlier in the week, with the quarterfinals on Friday. The main draw semifinals are scheduled for 1pm and 7pm on Saturday, August 18 followed by the Finals on Sunday, August 19 at 2pm. The exact schedule of the matches with specific competitors will be developed each day throughout the tournament and will become available around 6pm on the tournament website.

There are several options for ordering tickets to the men's Western & Southern Financial Group Masters tennis tournament. Tickets can be purchased from Ticketmaster, directly through the tournament website, or by printing the order form and mailing it in. For questions or more information, email tickets@cincytennis.com or call (513)651-0303. Parking is included in the cost of tickets and ticket prices vary depending on the round. Qualifier rounds cost $10, tickets for the Seniors Tournament Finals are $15, while tickets for the main Finals cost $44. United States Tennis Association (USTA) members can obtain discounts of $4, but only for some of the sessions.

Although tickets are not tax deductible, the Western and Southern Financial Group tennis tournaments are played for charity. Cincinnati's non-profit organization, Tennis for Charity, Inc. operates the tennis tournaments and works with over 1,300 volunteers each year. Since 1974 the men's tournament has been played to benefit Cincinnati's Children's Hospital Medical Center.

The annual ATP tournament is held at the Linder Family Tennis Center (formerly ATP Stadium) located at 5460 Courseview Drive in Mason, Ohio. Mason is a northeast suburb of Cincinnati and the Linder Family Tennis Center is conveniently situated off of I-71's exit 24 or 25, across from Kings Island. The Western and Southern Financial Group Masters tournament provides a detailed map with directions.

The Linder Family Tennis Center is an impressive grand slam tennis facility with three permanent stadiums, all with lights for playing at night. Center Court has a capacity of 10,500, Grand Stand Court holds 5,000 people, and Court #3 has a 2,000 person capacity. This year the north end of the Grand Stand has a new, larger awning to provide more shade for the spectators. The entire stadium is smoke-free with no designated smoking areas. Smoking will be permitted in the parking lot and re-entry into the stadium will be allowed.

The Western and Southern Financial Group Masters tournament benefits charity, as well as the top-ranked men's tennis players. $2,450,000 in prize money will be won by the competitors throughout the 'best of three' 2007 tournament. 'The Greatest Road Trip in Sports' will stop in Mason, Ohio for a hot, August week of exciting, competitive tennis as players vie for rank and money in this US Open Series tournament.