Cincinnati Open 2026: Schedule & Order of Play Overview

In the annual calendar of tennis fans, one of the main events of the month of August is the Cincinnati Open tournament. Part of both the 2026 ATP Tour as a Masters 1000 tournament and the 2026 WTA Tour as a WTA 1000 tournament, it is the final major warm up event for a number of top players who are going to participate in the US Open later on in August. 

The first edition of Cincinnati Open took place on 18 September 1899, making it the oldest tennis event in the United States to still be played in or around its original city. It is also the third largest US tennis event after the US Open and the Indian Wells Open. 

From the day of its launch until 1978, the event was conducted on a clay surface, but transitioned to hard outdoor courts in 1979. Presently, it is held annually at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, just about 35 km north of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Open Schedule 2026

This year, Cincinnati Open matches fall between Thursday, 13 August and Sunday, 23 August. The main event is preceded by the community weekend and qualifying rounds. The qualifying rounds are played in day sessions, while the main matches will be played in both day and night sessions until the final that will again take place in a day session.

Both men’s and women’s matches are played simultaneously, while double matches start later in the tournament and run alongside the singles events. 

Below you will find a detailed 2026 Cincinnati Open schedule:

Cincinnati Open Order of Play 2026

While the overall schedule provides the dates for each stage of the tournament, the Order of Play, or OOP, gives you an insight into what you can expect on the court on each specific day of the event. It lists the names of players in each match, the court they will be playing on, as well as the starting times.

As a rule, the Order of Play for each match day is published on the previous evening. The reason for not publishing it in advance is very simple. Of course, the specific courts and starting times can be defined in advance, but the match ups for the players will depend on the results of the previous stage and determined by who advances to the next round.

Apart from the first match of the day, you will notice that most starting times in the Order of Play are given in the following format: “not before” or “after the previous match”. This is largely due to certain unpredictability when it comes to the length of a tennis match. So, for example, “not before 1 pm” means that the match in question won’t start before the indicated time but might start a bit later if the previous match takes longer to end.

For the latest reliable info regarding the 2026 Cincinnati Open Order of Play, fans are recommended to check the Cincinnati Open official website the day before the match day they are interested in.

Cincinnati Open 2026 Tournament Information

This year will mark the 125th anniversary of the men’s edition and the 98th anniversary of the women’s edition of the Cincinnati Open. 

In 1979 the tournament moved its permanent location to the newly built Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. This brought along a change in the surface, going from previous clay courts to outdoor hard courts. It currently includes five permanent stadium courts: Center Court, Grandstand Court, Champions Court, Stadium 3, and Court 10. This makes Lindner Family Tennis Center the only tennis venue in the world apart from the four Grand Slam venues to have more than two permanent stadium courts. Their individual capacities are:

• Center Court: 11,614 
• Grandstand: 5,000 
• Champions Court: 2,300 
• Stadium 3: 4,000 
• Court 10: 2,000 

The 2026 Cincinnati Open tournament is classified as a Masters 1000 tournament on the 2026 ATP Tour and a WTA 1000 tournament on the 2026 WTA Tour. 

The tournament is played in a single knockout format, which means players need to keep winning in each round to advance to the next stage. 

The draw size for the Cincinnati Open differs for singles and doubles. Both men’s and women’s singles draw includes 96 players each. Doubles draw is significantly smaller, counting 32 players per men’s and women’s doubles. 

Its current prize pool for the men’s Association of Tennis Professionals’ Masters 1000 event is USD 9,415,725, while the prize pool for the Women’s Tennis Association WTA 1000 tournament is USD 7,433,076.

The full overview of the tournament is below:

• Venue: Lindner Family Tennis Center, Mason, Ohio, United States
• Surface: outdoor hard court
• Tournament category: ATP Masters 1000 on the 2026 ATP Tour & WTA 1000 on the 2026 WTA Tour
• Format: single knockout
• Singles draw size: 96 players men and women
• Doubles draw size: 32 players men and women
• Prize money: USD 9,415,725 for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament & USD 7,433,076 for the WTA 1000 tournament

Where to Watch the Cincinnati Open 2026 in the UK

In the UK, the Cincinnati Open will be broadcast in its entirety exclusively on the Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event. It will also be available for streaming on the streaming platform Now TV. Day sessions will generally begin from 4:00 pm BST, while night sessions will typically begin from 11:00 pm BST, with some days starting about an hour earlier or an hour later depending on the schedule. The broadcasting time for the singles final is Sunday, 23 August, 7:00 pm BST.

• TV broadcaster: Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Sports Main Event
• Streaming: Now TV
• Day session start: from 4:00 pm BST
• Night session start: 11:00 pm BST, with certain days starting from 10:15 pm or 00:00 am BST.
• Singles final start: Sunday, 23 August, 7:00 pm BST

FAQ

When does the Cincinnati Open start?

The main draw starts on Thursday, 13 August and continues through to Sunday, 23 August. It is preceded by qualifying rounds played on Tuesday, 11 August and Wednesday, 12 August.

When is the Cincinnati Open draw released?

The Cincinnati Open draw will be released on Tuesday, 11 August at 3 pm local time. For the tennis fans in the UK this is 8pm BST on the same day.

Where can I watch the Cincinnati Open?

In the UK, you can watch the Cincinnati Open on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event. You can also stream it via the Now TV streaming service.

Where is the Cincinnati Open played?

The Cincinnati Open is played at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, just about 35 km north of Cincinnati. This makes it the oldest tennis tournament in the United States to still be played in or around its original city.

Is the Cincinnati Open an ATP Masters 1000 event?

Yes, Cincinnati Open is classified as a Masters 1000 tournament on the 2026 ATP Tour. In addition, it is also classified as a WTA 1000 tournament on the 2026 WTA Tour.

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