You couldn’t have asked for better weather to watch Serena Williams take on Jelena Jancovic on Center Court in the early rounds of the Western and Southern Open tennis tournament (W & S) in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Clear blue skies, temperatures in the low seventies, and a light breeze made for a perfect early afternoon tennis match.
Each August I make the four-hour drive to Cincinnati along I-75 (crazy highway construction this year!) to watch the men and women masters at play.
The W & S tournament is the only US Open Series tennis tournament with both men and women playing in the same city.
It makes for incredibly long days (11-12 hours) of tennis matches on both outside courts and Center Court by top players.
What’s amazing is that you can easily get front row seats on the outside courts to watch top-ranked players like Caroline Wozniacki, Maria Sharapova, Milos Raonic, and David Ferrer in the early rounds.
Earlier in the week, I watched Stan Wawrinka take on Marin Cilic. The first set was easily won by Cilic, but Wawrinka battled back to take the next two sets, win the match, and move on to the quarterfinal match against Julian Benneteau.
You’ll meet all kinds of tennis fans and league players at the tournament. I had lunch with a couple fellows who drove 12 hours from Minneapolis/St. Paul for a day at the tournament.
I watched the Aga Radwanska/Caroline Wozniacki match with a Columbus, Ohio couple who have been married for 46 years.
They come to the tournament to watch matches and go to their favorite family restaurant for dinner before heading back home.
And not surprisingly, I sat down for dinner with two women who happened to be University of Michigan alumni mom and daughter sporting their Michigan t-shirts and caps.
If you’re a tennis fan or player, and find yourself in Cincinatti in mid-August, check out the tennis tournament. And let me know you’re there!
