They transformed the Cincinnati Open: Our reactions to the 2025 tournament

You may have seen Red Ball Tennis promoted for another celebration near Cincinnati—USTA volunteers and tennis fans partied for Pride at Sonder Brewing to coincide with the professional tournament. To picture the fun just imagine grass courts, string lighting, a DJ and beer... lots of beer, and just about every color balloon you can think of. As a record number of attendees connected and celebrated the LGBTQ+ community, many of them were seen sporting the event giveaway item: a bucket hat with rainbow stitching.

Back at the tournament grounds, three days were dedicated to adaptive and wheelchair tennis events, from exhibition matches to on-court instruction. The exhibitions were ELITE with Kendra Herber, Martina Siebert, Sam Shnowske and Danny Scrivano competing in the para standing tennis exhibitions, and Charlie Cooper, Tomas Majetic, Dana Mathewson and Maylee Phelps playing wheelchair tennis. With world-ranked athletes in both divisions, it's worth mentioning that more than one grew up in neighboring Midwestern states. 

"The result was a day of world-class competition that inspired fans and underscored the message that tennis truly is for everybody," said Jaime Oppenlander and Lynn Bender with USTA Midwest. "Spectators not only applauded the rallies and the teamwork but also left with a deeper appreciation for adaptive tennis and its rightful place alongside ATP and WTA competition." 

With all eight athletes from the Cincinnati Open exhibitions headed to the US Open, the Queen City once more proved to be the perfect backdrop to celebrate tennis and the many people who love the game.