By Cliff Peale
Enquirer staff writer

MASON - For the first time in 16 years, a women's professional tournament will fill the 10 courts at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.

Fans won't see superstar Serena Williams or new Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, and total prize money is only $170,000.

They will see a 30-player main singles draw with two top 10 players, American Lindsay Davenport and Russian Vera Zvonareva, and at least 20 other players ranked in the Women's Tennis Association's top 100.

IF YOU GO

Today's schedule Center Court 11 a.m. - Kelly McCain vs. Adriana Serra Zanetti*; Antonella Serra Zanetti vs. Yuliana Fedak*; Marion Bartoli (4) vs. Maria Kirilenko; Rita Grande vs. Virginie Razzano. 7 p.m.: Marissa Irvin vs. Mashona Washington; Kara Molony-Hussey-Lyndsey Molony vs. Jennifer Russell-Mara Santangelo. Grandstand Court 11 a.m.: Andreea Vanc vs. Severine Beltrame* (pictured above); Shuai Peng vs. Stephanie Foretz*; Marlene Weingartner (8) vs. Emmanuelle Gagliardi; Leanne Baker-Francesca Lubiani vs. Selima Sfar-Aneta Soukup. (*final-round qualifier match) Don't miss Sisters Kara Molony-Hussey and Lyndsey Molony of Northern Kentucky, given a wild card into the doubles main draw, will play tonight against Jennifer Russell and Mara Santangelo. Directions • To the Tennis Center: I-71 North to exit 24, left onto Western Row, right into tournament entrance. • I-71 North/South to exit 25, west onto Route 741, left onto Courseview Drive. • I-75 North to exit 22, right onto Tylersville, right onto Western Row, left into tournament entrance. • I-75 South to exit 29, left on West Route 63, right onto South Route 741, continue on Kings Mill, right onto Courseview. Sunday's results Qualifier second round • Severine Beltrame (1) def. Liga Dekmeijere 6-1, 6-4. • Andreea Vanc def. Salome Devidze 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. • Yuliana Fedak (2) def. Janet Lee 6-3, 6-1. • Adriana Serra Zanetti def. Svetlana Krivencheva 6-2, 5-7, 6-0. • Kelly McCain (8) def. Elena Tatarkova 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. • Stephanie Foretz (5) def. Leanne Baker 7-5, 7-5. • Antonella Serra Zanetti (7) def. Julie Ditty 7-6 (6), 6-2. • Shuai Peng (4) def. Delia Sescioreanu 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Qualifier first round • Shuai Peng (4) def. Anousjka Van Exel 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. • Janet Lee def. Amy Dillingham 6-0, 6-0. Sunday's highlight Italian sisters Antonella and Adriana Serra Zanetti both advanced to the final round of qualifying. Each Serra Zanetti will play today for berths in the main draw. TV information None today; the Tennis Channel will air matches Friday-Sunday. Tickets Sessions (loge/terrace prices in parentheses): Today, 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ($22/$12, kids 14 and under are $6); Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ($22/$12); Thursday, 4 p.m. ($24/$15); Friday, 4 p.m. ($26/$18); Saturday, 3 p.m. ($28/$20); Sunday, 1 p.m. ($32/$22). Ticket hotline: 513-651-0303 (www.cincytennis.com) . By the numbers 31: Countries represented in the tournament $3 million: Payout in season-ending championships $170,000: Purse this week for the Women's Open --Neil Schmidt

It's worked with the men's event, which attracts all of the world's top players and a national television presence every August.

More than 3,000 ticket buyers at the men's event also bought women's tickets, providing a good start for the main draw that starts today and culminates Sunday afternoon.

"They didn't know what they were buying, so they're kind of going on faith," tournament director Bruce Flory said. "The quality of tennis will be outstanding. It's just the names won't be as familiar."

The strategy to develop the women's tournament harks back decades in the history of what now is the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men's tournament, first held in Avondale in 1899.

At the new Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open, organizers will start small, treat both fans and players well, and hope to build the tournament slowly.

The women's tournament is just one reason organizers hope 2004 will be an off-the-court turning point for the Mason event and Tennis for Charity Inc., the nonprofit company that organizes it.

Current goals

Tasks include:

• Supporters plan a capital campaign, possibly as soon as this fall, for improvements to the site. Those could include a retractable roof on the stadium court - costing up to $7 million - more seats and additional locker-room and restaurant space.

• Refinancing the short-term loan it took to buy the complex for $16.5 million last year. That could lower annual debt payments of about $800,000 a year. Tennis for Charity saved about $670,000 a year in rent.

• Finding sponsors and ticket buyers for the women's event, which already has secured a date on next year's calendar, July 16-24. In an increasingly crowded tennis calendar, that was the best date they could find, Flory said.

"I think we'll get pretty good support," Flory said. "Over time, we've got to work our way up to get good draws and the best players we possibly can."

Tennis for Charity secured the Tier III event this year by buying a summertime event from organizers in Croatia.

Bigger plans

In the long term, Bruce Flory and his father, Paul, who took over the men's tournament in 1975 and is now tournament chairman, would like to buy a women's tournament slot from another city and create a higher-tier event that combines the women and men's events on successive weeks, or even together.

Movement in that direction would solidify the Western & Southern tournament as one of the most prestigious in the country.

The first major step is the capital campaign, to allow the Florys to make some physical improvements they've been putting off in favor of "Band-Aids" for years. While they have not set an amount, some have mentioned goals as high as $10 million or $15 million.

"The economic situation is not as promising as you might like (for the campaign), but if anybody has an opportunity to make some headway, I think they've got it," said Don Schumacher, head of a local sports consulting firm. "They're going to have to compete with a lot of people."

While the women's event won't be profitable at first, that won't keep Tennis for Charity from making contributions to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - about $308,000 in 2003 - and about $36,000 to inner-city youth tennis programs, said Bob Slattery, president of the nonprofit.

The women's tournament will make a contribution to the Barrett Cancer Center at University Hospital.

"It's like playing chess in the next two or three years," Slattery said. "I would not be surprised if there could be another tournament up for sale.

"But for now, we have the opportunity to bring in at least the top 50-100 players and introduce them to the wonderful facilities we have," he said. "The formula is not going to change from what Paul and Bruce have established."

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E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com