CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Despite efforts this year to bring it to North Carolina, a world-class tennis tournament is staying in Ohio. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Western & Southern Open will stay in Ohio instead of North Carolina

  • A tennis coach said the city not only lost revenue but also more tennis programming opportunities

  • The city, county and state said the money pledged for the project will be used for other projects locally

The Western & Southern Open held in Mason, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati, will stay put for another 25 years. 

Beemok Sports had considered moving the tournament to Charlotte and building a world-class tennis complex to host tournaments and be available to the public. 

The City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the state had pledged to fund part of the $400 million project. 

However, last week Beemok Sports announced the tournament would not be coming to Charlotte. 

“The leaders in Charlotte and the state have been incredible partners as we’ve evaluated our options. This was a very difficult decision, and we are deeply appreciative of the time, energy and resources that were invested alongside us,” businessman and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro with Beemok Capital said. “We have strong ties to the area and will look for ways to invest in the community and local tennis development in the future.”

Mecklenburg County released this statement following the announcement: 

"We are grateful for the opportunity to work on this exciting project, and especially thank the Board of County Commissioners and the City of Charlotte for their support. As a result of this recent news, no tax dollars were or will be dispersed. And the funds set aside for this project will remain with Mecklenburg County."

Calvin Davis III, better known as C.C., teaches the next generation of tennis players along with his father Calvin Davis Jr., a longtime tennis coach in Charlotte. They teach through Charlotte Country Day, the Tennis Advancement Program and the Greater Enrichment Program. 

“One of my favorite parts is seeing everyone from their starting point to playing in college and the next level after that,” C.C. Davis said.

Davis said he looked forward for the tournament to come to the city and for his students to have the opportunity to watch professionals play. 

“I think the excitement of bringing professional tennis to Charlotte had everyone out of their seats,” Davis said. “Sometimes you don’t know what it takes until you get to see it up close."

He was disappointed to hear the tournament and new facilities won’t come here after all. 

“[The city] loses the revenue coming in, you lose the opportunity for the kids to get on the court and play, you lose the family space, you lose the programming space,” Davis said. 

He and Johnson C. Smith University Women’s and Men’s Tennis Coach Kavir Kumar said there is a need for more public tennis facilities to grow the sport.

“So many places that are putting up these facilities are getting not only an economic impact but also a social impact with more and more kids playing the sport,” Kumar said. 

Davis said his family remains committed to increasing visibility and access to tennis.

“We’ll continue to spread the word about tennis and give everybody the opportunity,” Davis said. 

The City of Charlotte released a statement after the announcement. 

"No money has changed hands as the city funds were contingent on the tournament relocating to Charlotte. The funds allocated by the city were going to come from the Convention Center Fund, which are derived by food and beverage taxes and which are required to be used on tourism projects."

State lawmakers said the money pledged for the project would remain in the state coffers and be re-allocated next year to use for something else.