The Cincinnati Open is one of the most prestigious combined events on the tennis calendar, but it carries an uncomfortable footnote heading into 2025: the women's champion will earn less than her male counterpart, despite both draws competing under identical conditions.
This week's men's winner will take home $1,151,380, while the women's champion collects $1,085,220. That gap of roughly $66,000 may not sound enormous, but it signals a broader structural inequality that top players have grown increasingly vocal about. World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka have both been among the loudest voices pushing for a fairer share of revenue generated at the sport's biggest events, with some players hinting they could withdraw from major tournaments if meaningful change does not arrive.
What makes Cincinnati's disparity particularly striking is that, unlike Grand Slams, both the men and women play best-of-three sets here. The common justification used at Slams, that men play longer matches, simply does not apply. Both tours are also competing at the same venue, which weakens the case for any pay differential even further.
The gap largely comes down to less lucrative broadcasting deals for WTA matches compared to ATP ones. However, this situation may be nearing its end. Back in 2023, the WTA committed to achieving equal prize money at combined events by 2027, citing a vision first championed by Billie Jean King when she founded the tour 50 years ago. Single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events have a longer runway, targeting equality by 2033.
With Coco Gauff and Sabalenka among the favorites competing for that top prize, TennisDraw users will be watching closely to see whose bracket picks hold up as the week unfolds.
