KATIE HAAS JOINS WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN AS COO;
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ANDRE SILVA ADDS CEO ROLE
CINCINNATI (July 17, 2018) — The Western & Southern Open announced today Katie Haas as its Chief Operating Officer and that Tournament Director Andre Silva will add the role of Chief Executive Officer.
Haas spent 15 years within the Boston Red Sox organization, most recently as Vice President, Florida Business Operations. In that role she was responsible for all Red Sox Spring Training-related business as well as the club’s Fort Myers, Fla., facility which includes a Player Development Complex and an adjacent multi-use property that hosts year-round programming featuring non-baseball events.
Haas will oversee the business operations for the Western & Southern Open, which is a joint WTA and ATP World Tour tennis tournament held each August. The event annually draws more than 200 of the world’s best professional players and nearly 200,000 spectators. Founded in 1899, the W&S Open has been held at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio, since 1979.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Western & Southern Open,” said Haas. “The tournament has an incredible history, a fan-friendly facility and is clearly a premier stop on the international tennis tours. I look forward to the opportunity to further the success of this world-class event.”
Haas has been involved with Florida operations for the Red Sox since 2009. Prior to that, she worked for the team in Boston overseeing game day employees while also managing non-Red Sox baseball ancillary events at Fenway Park. Haas also previously worked in sponsorship services with the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Silva adds the role of CEO after two years of serving as the W&S Open Tournament Director. He came to the tournament after working with the Cleveland-based player representation agency Team8. Silva previously spent 14 years with the governing body of men’s tennis, the ATP, holding several roles, including that of Chief Player Officer and Tournament Director of the ATP World Tour Finals held at the O2 Arena in London.
The announcement comes less than a month before the 2018 Western & Southern Open. This year’s tournament will be highlighted by the unveiling of the latest addition to its facility, the 40,000 square foot South Building that features fully enclosed, air-conditioned box seats as well as an all-inclusive level of seating which offers patrons a buffet and bar service with their ticket.
Tickets, including for seating areas in the new South Building, are on sale now for the 2018 tournament, which will be held August 11-19, and are available at www.shop.cincytennis.com.
The fields for this year’s event are headlined by two of the game’s all-time greatest players – two-time W&S Open winner Serena Williams and seven-time champion Roger Federer. The full women’s and men’s fields were announced last week.
