parma ladies open

PRESS CONFERENCE PRESENTATION

PARMA LADIES OPEN PRESENTED BY IREN

BOSI: “A KEY EVENT FOR THE CITY”

SLAM CHAMPIONS KENIN AND KREJCIKOVA SIGN UP

Parma, May 5, 2026 – The sixth edition of the Parma Ladies Open presented by Iren, a WTA 125 tournament organized by MEF Tennis Events and Tennis Club Parma, scheduled for May 11-16, 2026, was presented in the Hall of Representation of the Municipal Residence. Twenty-one top-100 players in the world rankings will compete in the Emilian event, whose top-tier field is also dictated by its strategic location on the calendar, in the second week of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and just days before the start of Roland Garros. The press conference was attended by Marco Bosi, Councilor for Sport for the City of Parma; Giacomo Malmesi, a member of the board of directors of Iren and president of Ireti; Giampiero Alinovi, president of the Parma Tennis Club; Gilberto Fantini, president of the FITP Emilia-Romagna committee; Roberta Frisoni, Councilor for Tourism, Sport, and Commerce of the Emilia-Romagna Region; Paolo Novati, General Manager of UniCredit Allianz Assicurazioni; Vittorio Andrea Vaccaro, Vice President of CONI Emilia-Romagna; and Marcello Marchesini, Sole Director of MEF Tennis Events.

Councilor Bosi’s enthusiasm – “Over the years, the Parma Ladies Open has become a key event for the city, combining high-level sport, promotion of the region, and international outreach,” stated Councilor for Sport Marco Bosi. This tournament brings top-level athletes to the city and enhances one of Parma’s historic sporting venues, the Parma Tennis Club. This result is the fruit of solid collaboration between institutions, organizers, and partners, demonstrating how continuous investment in sporting events generates opportunities, attractiveness, and participation. Events like this strengthen the city’s sporting identity and have a value that extends beyond the playing field, especially for boys and girls, who can see high-quality and professional sporting role models up close.

Parma, the Emilia-Romagna “capital” of tennis – The 2026 edition of the Parma Ladies Open presented by Iren will consolidate the city of Parma’s position in organizing international tournaments. “This is a truly valuable initiative for the Region,” explains Roberta Frisoni, Councilor for Tourism, Sport, and Commerce of the Emilia-Romagna Region. “The tournament has consolidated its place on the international calendar and is part of a series of events that are establishing Parma as a leader in the world of tennis. As a Region, we are very committed to celebrating the excellence of women’s sport.” Gilberto Fantini, president of the FITP Emilia-Romagna Committee, agrees: “TC Parma is a unique point of reference for the region, while the city of Parma remains the Emilia-Romagna tennis capital. We are delighted to once again host a flagship event for the women’s circuit in this city. Our goal is to engage more and more young people in tennis, a sport that allows for significant growth and always places education at its core.”

Iren Confirmed as Title Sponsor – “We are thrilled to confirm Iren’s support for the Parma Ladies Open, an event that represents not only sporting excellence but also an important opportunity for growth for the local community,” stated Giacomo Malmesi, Iren Board Member and President of Ireti. “Our participation as title sponsor reflects our desire to promote values ​​we deeply believe in, such as sustainability, inclusion, and the development of new generations. This is also the direction taken by the ‘Iren Play the Future – Parma Ladies Open School Days’ project, an initiative for students that offers an immersive experience in the world of professional tennis and raises awareness of energy, the environment, and future opportunities related to sport. Involving young people means concretely investing in tomorrow, placing awareness and responsibility at the center. Through these activities, we want to help make the tournament increasingly sustainable and closer to the community, transforming sport into an educational tool of shared value.”

UniCredit Allianz Assicurazioni’s entry – “We chose to be the Main Partner of this tournament because we were immediately struck by what it represents: it is not only a high-level sporting event, but also an event capable of giving visibility, space, and value to women’s tennis, its athletes, and their journeys,” said Paolo Novati, General Manager of UniCredit Allianz Assicurazioni. “We believe in talent, but also in the importance of environments that allow talent to express itself, be nurtured, and supported over time. This is why our commitment stems from a conscious choice, consistent with the values ​​that guide our business.”

Many Top 100 Players in Parma – The entry list for the 2026 edition of the Parma Ladies Open presented by Iren features twenty-one Top 100 players, five of whom are among the top fifty in the world rankings. Two Grand Slam singles champions will also be competing in Emilia-Romagna: American Sofia Kenin, winner of the 2020 Australian Open, and Czech Barbora Krejcikova, who won Roland Garros in 2021 and Wimbledon in 2024. Taylor Townsend, one of the best doubles players in recent years, a five-time Major finalist and the current number two in the doubles ranking, will also be a major attraction. Egyptian Mayar Sherif, one of the most successful players in the WTA 125 category, will return to Parma. The 30-year-old from Cairo, the defending champion, will be seeking her third title at the Emilian tournament, after also winning the WTA 250 title in 2022, in the final against then-Top 10 Maria Sakkari.

Tickets are now available on the official website – Tickets are now available on the official website, www.parmaladiesopen.com. For press accreditation requests, please send an email to credentials@meftennisevents.com.

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THE ENTRY LIST FOR THE 2024 EDITION HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED

THE PARMA LADIES OPEN RETURNS WITH THE FOURTH EDITION

COCCIARETTO, BRONZETTI AND TREVISAN: ITALIAN STARS TRIS IN THE MAIN DRAW

SPORT COUNCILOR BOSI: “HIGH QUALITY TOURNAMENT”

Parma, April 16, 2024 – After the iirst WTA trophy of the young Coco Gauff, the exploits of Serena Williams and Maria Sakkari, the Parma Ladies Open returns for its fourth edition. There are a total of 32 titles on the women’s circuit (including a Slam) that the participating players at the event presented by title sponsor Iren have won during their careers, testifying to the incredible level of quality of the 2024 Emilian event. From Monday 13th to Saturday May 18th, the WTA 125 organized by MEF Tennis Events in collaboration with the Parma Tennis Club will reopen its doors, and on the red clay courts of the Emilian club the level will be very high also thanks to the change of date, which will see the event take place in parallel with the second week of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The entry list for the event with a prize money of $115,000, still subject to changes in the days preceding the start, is full of tennis players from the Top 100 and will also see Lucia Bronzetti, Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Martina Trevisan taking part. The presentation press conference is scheduled for Thursday 2 May at 10.30 am in the Representative Hall of the Municipal Residence in Strada Repubblica, 1 Parma, in the presence of the mayor Michele Guerra, the councilor Marco Bosi, as well as the representatives of the Emilia Region -Romagna, FITP Emilia-Romagna, CONI, TC Parma and MEF Tennis Events.

The stars of the Italian national team in Parma – The entry list for the fourth edition of the Parma Ladies Open presented by Iren has an exceptional technical level and competitiveness. The respective WTA numbers 35 and 42, Marie Bouzkova and Xinyu Wang, will be the top two seeds in a tournament that will see some of the best players in the world rankings compete. A Slam champion and former world number 4 will also be present with them: the American Sofia Kenin, winner of the 2020 edition of the Australian Open and finalist of Roland Garros in the same year, will further enrich the technical level on the TC Parma courts. Completing the Top 3 of those registered is Lucia Bronzetti; the current number 46 in the world rankings will be looking for a great result in Emilia, but she will not be the only Italian tennis player to fight for the title. Italy will be well represented by two other symbolic players of the ride that last year saw the women’s national team reach the final act of the Billie Jean King Cup: Elisabetta Cocciaretto and Martina Trevisan. While Trevisan is still hunting for the first big successes of the season, Cocciaretto comes from the victory of the WTA 125 in Charleston last March, where she defeated the promising Diana Shnaider 6-3 6-2. However, the competition could be enriched by at least one more Italian tennis player, with Sara Errani just two slots away from rightfully entering the main draw. Rounding out a list of numerous champions, awaiting the usual wild cards, there will also be the tournament champion in 2022, the Egyptian born in 1996 Mayar Sherif, as well as the former number 14 in the world ranking Petra Martic.

The authorities welcome the tournament – “It will be the fourth edition of the Parma Ladies Open, a tournament that is becoming a fixed event for the city which in recent years has seen sacred monsters such as Serena Williams on the court, but also young promises who are consecrating themselves as Coco Gauff – the words of the Sports Councilor of the Municipality of Parma, Marco Bosi –. Women’s tennis is always particularly popular with the people of Parma. This year the anticipation is very high because it will be played in the middle of the clay season and there will be a high-level entry list. This is because the players themselves love Parma and the splendid club that hosts them, a true context of excellence”. The setting of the fourth edition of the tournament will once again be that of the Parma Tennis Club, represented by its president Giampiero Alinovi: “In recent years the Parma Ladies Open has had incredible success. Born during the pandemic, it has become a fixed and hopefully increasingly long-lasting event for the club, the city and the entire region. We are very excited. We are particularly pleased that this year it will be played in the second week of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia: probably, once eliminated in Rome, some great players from the WTA circuit will choose Parma to continue their activity in view of Roland Garros. I am extremely confident: between Italian and foreign athletes we are ready to witness a great show.”

The support of the Emilia-Romagna Region – “This year too we support the Parma Ladies Open, a tournament that will see some of the best tennis players on the world scene compete on the red clay of the Parma Tennis Club – the words of Giammaria Manghi, Head of the Political Secretariat of the Presidency of the Emilia-Romagna Region -. In the calendar of major sporting events promoted by the Region, tennis occupies a prominent place, with several important events, which will culminate in the Davis Cup round, scheduled again this year in September, at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno. Parma Ladies Open gives space to women’s sport, to which, in the logic of valorising gender sport, we are trying to pay adequate attention, both in the proposal of events and in the programming documents, such as for example the Three-Year Sport Plan, under discussion precisely in these days in our Legislative Assembly”.

The ticket office will be open from Thursday 18 April at 4.00 pm on the website www.parmaladiesopen.com, while accreditation requests must be sent to credentials@meftennisevents.com.

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