Palermo Ladies Open 2026: the 37th edition presented at Rinascente

Everything is ready for the 37th edition of the Palermo Ladies Open, the WTA 125 tournament that from 18 to 26 July 2026 will bring top international women's tennis back to the clay courts of the Country Time Club in Palermo.

The new edition was officially presented in the heart of the city, at Rinascente Palermo, during a press conference that brought together organisers, sports institutions, athletes and the people behind the new communication approach.

Not a random choice: taking the presentation out of the club and into the centre of Palermo further strengthens the link between one of the longest-running tournaments in Italian women's tennis and the city that has hosted it for almost forty years.

A heritage of Italian tennis

Speaking at the conference were the president of the Country Time Club Giorgio Cammarata, the tournament director Oliviero Palma and the president of FITP Sicily Giorgio Giordano.

Giordano himself described the Palermo Ladies Open as a heritage not only of Sicily but of Italian tennis as a whole, included this year in a regional calendar of 21 international events across tennis and padel.

A story that has reached its 37th edition and continues to be an important opportunity to bring Palermo and Sicily into the international tennis circuit.

As Giorgio Cammarata pointed out, every edition is a source of pride for the Country Time Club and for the city, helping to promote the image of Sicily through sport.

Anastasia Abbagnato in the main draw

Among those at the conference was also Palermo-born Anastasia Abbagnato, born in 2003, who has been given a wild card for the main draw.

For the Sicilian player it will be her first appearance in the main draw of the Palermo Ladies Open, right in front of the home crowd.

Two other Sicilians will also compete in the qualifying rounds: Dalila Spiteri, from Licata, and Miriana Tona, from Taormina.

Their presence further strengthens the link between the tournament and regional tennis.

The players of the 37th edition

The 2026 draw will bring together established players and some of the most interesting emerging talents on the international circuit.

Among the most anticipated will be Italy's Tyra Caterina Grant, world number 141 in the WTA rankings and fresh from a run at Wimbledon that started in the qualifying rounds and reached the second round of the main draw.

Also returning to the Country will be Lucia Bronzetti, once world number 46 and a finalist in Palermo in 2022, together with 22-year-old Jennifer Ruggeri.

Leading the seeding will be British player Francesca Jones, the reigning champion and WTA number 123, followed by 18-year-old Belgian Jeline Vandromme, winner of the 2025 junior US Open.

A mix of experience and the new generation that has always been one of the hallmarks of the Palermo Ladies Open: giving the public the chance to also see on court the players set to become leading names in world tennis.

A new direction for communication

The 2026 edition also marks the start of a new approach to the tournament's communication.

AGAIN, FLOW and TALIA will work together on the new communication direction of the Palermo Ladies Open, with the aim of honouring a story 37 editions long and, at the same time, building around the tournament a language that is even more contemporary and open to the city.

Also speaking at the conference was Andrea Ganci, founder and one of the leading figures of the new project, to tell the city about the vision that will go with this edition.

The starting point naturally remains tennis, but the aim is to widen the story to everything that happens around the court.

Athletes, public, partners, hospitality, backstage, culture, food, entertainment and the local area will become part of a broader narrative, able to show the Palermo Ladies Open as one of the central events of the Palermo summer.

From tournament to event week

The real evolution of the 2026 edition will be exactly this: going beyond the tournament.

For nine days the Country Time Club will become a place to enjoy all day long, where matches will be accompanied by events dedicated to culture, training, food and wine, entertainment and social life.

A week of events designed to gradually change the historic face of the event without losing its identity.

So not only coming to the Country to watch a match, but enjoying a broader experience in which tennis and lifestyle can meet.

This is also the direction that AGAIN, FLOW and TALIA will support through strategy, content and live communication: building a story that starts from the sporting competition and manages to open up to the city.

Palermo, world capital of the WTA 125 circuit

Among the most prestigious novelties of the 2026 edition is also the world meeting of WTA 125 tournament directors, scheduled for 25 July at the Country Time Club.

For the first time, Palermo will host about 50 delegates from around the world, called to discuss the future of WTA 125 tournaments and the circuit's international development strategies.

An important recognition of the work done over the years by the organisation of the Palermo Ladies Open and of the credibility the tournament has earned on the international stage.

For one day, Palermo will thus become a world reference point for the WTA 125 circuit.

A story that keeps changing

Play resumes on 18 July.

But the 37th edition of the Palermo Ladies Open wants to start even earlier, involving Palermo and turning the tournament into an event that can go beyond the boundaries of the Country Time Club.

The press conference at Rinascente was the first sign of this new direction: bringing the tournament into the city and, at the same time, bringing more and more of the city into the tournament.

A story that began almost forty years ago and keeps evolving.

Tennis stays at the centre. All around it, a new experience is taking shape.

In collaboration with Again Srls