Dayton Dutch Lions:

The 2017 West- CINCINNATI — ern & Southern Open still is weeks away, but organizers already are looking ahead to 2018.

Thursday’s 2017 player field announcement, at Rhinegeist Brewery in downtown Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, doubled as the setting for the unveiling of plans for a $25 million, five- story building at the south end of the Stadium Court at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason.

Construction on the facility, which also will overlook the Grandstand Court and replace the current structure that was built in 1985, is scheduled to start two days after the end of this year’s tournament and be ready by next July 1, according to tournament Chief Exec- utive Officer Elaine Bruening. Officials have been discussing the plans for 10 years, Bruen- ing said.

“For the past 10 years, we’ve had a sense that the building needed serious work,” Bruening said. “The seats are run down, and the broadcast booths leak. It’s time for a new building.”

The five-story facility will have 252 enclosed, air-condi- tioned box seats and a restau- rant and bar on the second level, 396 new outdoor box seats and an interior space with concessions, a bar and restrooms on the third floor, all-inclusive seats with a total of 126 seats on the fourth level and a new broadcast and production center on the fifth level.

Updates for this year’s tour- nament, which is scheduled to start Aug. 12 and conclude Aug. 20, include the addition of lights on courts 7 and 8, meaning all of the competi- tion courts will have lights, and a new practice court.

“The practice courts are almost as popular as the com- petition courts,” Bruening said. “Fans like getting to see the players up close.”

Parking also will be improved after storms created significant problems at last year’s event.

“I never want to go through that again,” Bruening said, adding that she and tourna- ment officials are starting work on a “long-term mas- ter plan” for other improve- ments to the facility.

Andrew Krasny, billed as a Tennis Channel “personal- ity,” served as master of ceremonies for Thursday’s event, which identified the initial entrants for this year’s tour- nament. The top 44 men’s players, including Wimbledon semifinalists Roger Federer, Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych and Sam Querrey, are in the field, along with Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all of whom were ranked among the top four players in the world as of July 3. Federer is a seven-time Western and Southern champion, while Cilic captured last year’s title.

Murray lost in the Wimble- don quarterfinals while deal- ing with a painful hip, while a right elbow injury forced Djokovic to prematurely end his quarterfinal match.

Wimbledon finalists Venus Williams and Garbine Muguruza lead the women’s field, which includes 39 of the top 43 players. Among them are Western & Southern defending champion Karolina Pliskova, who will vault to the No. 1 ranking on the women’s tour despite losing in the second round at Wimbledon.

The draws include 14 Grand Slam winners who have collected a combined 69 major titles. Bruening didn’t rule out the possibility that former Western and Southern champion and world No. 1 Maria Sharapova could receive a wild-card entry into the tournament.

“I don’t know,” Bruening said. “A lot of it depends on her summer plans.”

Sharapova returned to competition in April after being suspended in June 2016 for using a banned substance.

With their NPSL regu- lar-season matches com- pleted, it’s a waiting game for the Dayton Dynamo.

The Dynamo’s 21 points lead the Midwest Conference East Division but their playoff fate is now in the hands of their rivals as Erie (20) is one point back and Cleve- land (19) trails by two. Both teams have games to play. The top two teams advance to the playoffs.

need Buffalo to win or tie against Cleveland Friday night and we will make the playoffs,” Dynamo coach Dan Griest said. “We could also get in with two losses from Erie, in their last two games, but the Buffalo result is a bit more realistic.”

The Dynamo (6-3-3) could find out their fate as early as Friday night as Buffalo and Cleveland play at 7.

Dynamo starter Tristan Lyle was recently nominated for the NPSL Soccer Mitre Player of the Week. The Wright State forward posted a pair of second-half goals Friday to boost the Dynamo to a 2-1 win over Erie in the club’s final NPSL match of the regular season.

Dayton closes the season Saturday with a friendly takes and see where you end up. He’s the best but some- one has to knock him off eventually. Hopefully we’re that team.

“I’ve always loved Eldora. It’s been a good track for me. It’s somewhere I’ve always been pretty fast and typically the track is the same. You know what you’re getting. I’m definitely looking forward to it and running faster this year.”

A record-tying 60 cars signed up for the Kings Royal in 2016. Schatz bested them all in an event that included 11 past Kings Royal winners. As many as 10 former champions could compete this year for that coveted spot on the Eldora stage. The victory lane celebration is nearly as famous as the race itself. The winner dons an oversized crown, is draped with a royal cape and given a scep- ter. The champion sits atop a huge wooden throne, forever crowned King XXXIV. against Fort Wayne SC at Chaminade Julienne’s Roger Glass Stadium, where the Dynamo didn’t lose a NPSL match this year. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

The men host their final game of the season Sunday at 7 p.m. at DOC Stadium. The Dutch Lions are 4-5-3 and in fourth place in the Great Lakes Conference.

The team has been led offensively by Glenn van Geldorp — two goals, two assists — and Amass Amankono, who added a pair of assists. Amankono left Wednesday for a 10-day professional tryout in Oklahoma and will miss the final game. Goalkeeper Michael Yantz led the Dutch Lions defense, leads the USL PDL in saves with 75 and has five shutouts.

The Dayton Dutch Lions women closed their season with a 7-1 loss to the undefeated Fire & Ice SC on Saturday. The win clinched the Valley Division crown and a playoff berth for the 6-0-0 visitors. The Dutch Lions women finished 2-5-1.

A special guest serves as the Royal Sovereign each year and Saturday it’s the King of Outlaws himself. Steve Kinser, the seven-time Kings Royal champion and 20-time WoO champion, will oversee the Kings Royal ceremonies.

Kinser won the inaugural Kings Royal in 1984 and added his final one in 2010.

“The night I won the first Kings Royal, (Eldora Speedway founder) Earl (Baltes) paid me $50,000 in cash and handed it to me in a shoebox,” Kinser said. “That was something, getting the payout in cash. Earl was really the first to pay that kind of money for a sprint car race. He and Eldora set the bar when it came to big events.”

Single-day tickets start at $25. Children 12 and under are free for general admission seating. For more information on ticket prices and the Kings Royal, call 937-3383815 or visit EldoraSpeedway.com.