In a tournament full of unlimited tennis balls, dogs steal hearts at the Cincinnati Open
MASON, Ohio —
Even at the Cincinnati Open, dogs have managed to find a way into our hearts.
No matter where you looked on the Lindner Family Tennis Center grounds over the past two weeks, there were no lack of puppies, hounds, and pooches to be seen out and about.
Penelope, a volunteer service dog recruited to assist this year at the Open, was among the many who had been a fixture on the tournament grounds over the past two weeks. In the process, she would unexpectedly end up meeting many of tennis’s biggest stars.
Coco Gauff poses with Cincinnati Open service dog Penelope and her owner, Timothy Finke.
This includes Penelope getting belly rubs from Jessica Pegula, playing fetch with Coco Gauff, and posing for pictures with Madeira native Caty McNally.
Penelope’s owner, Timothy Finke, says that he’s glad to see the smiles that Penelope brings to the players and tennis fans who have come to Cincinnati from all around the world.
Caty McNally poses with Cincinnati Open service dog Penelope.
“She’s played fetch with Leylah Fernandez, Coco Gauff, Caty McNally, all kinds of players,” said Finke. “Sascha Zverev, the first day that we were here, was practicing and came over and loved on her for about 20 minutes and gave her six tennis balls. So we have a collection of about, probably 40 tennis balls.”
German tennis player Alexander “Sascha” Zverev poses with Cincinnati Open service dog Penelope and her owner, Timothy Finke.
Penelope has even met some of the players’ famous dogs of their own: As she beat Serena and Venus Williams in doubles tennis this week, Marta Kostyuk was among those who met Penelope with her own dog, Mander, by her side.
Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk as she poses with Cincinnati Open service dog Penelope and her own dog, Mander.
Meanwhile, Kostyuk’s doubles teammate, Mason native Peyton Stearns, also drew notice for frequently having her own dog, Pebbles, by her side throughout the tournament, while also giving interviews with her in her lap.
Elsewhere, Xinyu Wang’s dog, Beita, was spotted on the Lindner Family Tennis Center grounds as she practiced for her matches, with China’s top-ranked professional tennis player also eventually getting to be among the many to meet Penelope for herself.
Chinese tennis player Xinyu Wang as she poses with Cincinnati Open service dog Penelope.
While the Cincinnati Open may be coming to an end on Sunday as the annual tennis season moves onto its next leg, the numerous dogs like Penelope who served as a fixture on its ground undoubtedly will live on as simple source of joy in the hearts and minds of players when they think back on the memories that were made at this year’s tournament by simply doing what they do best: being man’s best friend.