Cincinnati Open Intern Dies After Cart Accident

Cincinnati Open 2025 - Day 12 — Source: Clicks Images / Getty

The Cincinnati Open is grieving the loss of one of its interns, 21-year-old Joshua Darst, who died Monday night after a tragic accident at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason.

Police say Darst fell from a motorized cart near the loading dock around 11PM and was rushed by Mason EMS to West Chester Hospital, where he later died. The incident remains under investigation.

Darst, a West Chester native, grew up attending Tri-County Baptist Church. Pastor Brian McManus, who baptized him as a child, remembered him as a compassionate young man with a heart for others.

“He just loved serving people,” McManus said. “When you hurt, he hurt. And when you celebrated, he celebrated right there with you.”

Darst was a student at Cornerstone University in Michigan, where he played baseball on scholarship. His pastor said he was excited to see where life and God would take him next.

The Cincinnati Open called the loss devastating.

“This loss is deeply felt by our entire organization. Our hearts, thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, friends and all who knew and loved him,” the tournament said in a statement Tuesday.