Women’s Tennis in Cincinnati

My family and I got back from Myrtle Beach late last night after an agonizing 12 hour drive.  Let me be clear…  The drive itself is not too terribly agonizing – just long – but with the fun and relaxation of vacation behind you and the corporate rat race in front of you – that is where the agony comes into play.

But before facing the Monday morning commute, my mom, my two kids, and I headed down to Mason, OH (a northern suburb of Cincinnati) for the second day of qualifying at the Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open.  In years past, Cincy has held a Tier III women’s event, but for the first time ever, this year’s event is a Tier I event with 8 of the top 10 players in the world competing.

The weather was fantastic, the company was excellent, and the tennis was outstanding.  We watched a few of the actual qualifier matches but spent more time watching some the of top women on the practice courts – Jankovic, Azarenka, Wozniacki, and Hantuchova (ok – maybe she’s not a “top” woman, but she’s at least somewhat well-known) to name a few.  Click here to see some photos I took during the day.

The best part of the day was just being a father and watching my nine year old daughter, Camryn, get autograph after autograph from the players on her oversized Penn tennis ball.  At first ,she was a little timid, but by the end of the day, she had turned into a professional autograph seeker – stepping right up to the players, shoving other kids aside (only kidding), and getting the prize.  Parker, an incredibly timid little guy, was more than happy to let big Sis handle all of the autograph seeking while he enjoyed frozen lemonade.

Enjoy the pics and thanks for checking in.

DH