The Palermo Open, also called the 35° Palermo Ladies Open, is a WTA 250 competition held in Italy each season. It is held at the Country Time Club and takes place on outdoor clay courts, usually in mid to late July. The Palermo Open has roots in the late 1980s.
Firstly, the tournament was part of the lower-level Satellite Circuit until it entered the WTA calendar in 1990. However, between 1990 and 2009, the event was categorized as a WTA Tier V or Tier IV competition, often shifting between the two levels.
In 2009, the Palermo Open achieved WTA International Tournament status and remained at this level until 2013. Despite the tournament's growth in the WTA circuit, it was eventually sold in 2014. As a result, the Palermo Open was replaced by the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur for six years.
Yet, the Palermo Open returned to the WTA schedule in 2019 after it replaced the Jiangxi International Women's Tennis Open. The initial two years of the newly launched competition in Palermo were ranked at the WTA International Tournament level.
However, the Palermo Open eventually gained WTA 250 status in 2021. Across the one-week clay court event, a 32-player singles draw and a 16-pair doubles competition takes place. In the singles tournament, one player had a spell of dominance at the Palermo Open.
Former Spanish professional Anabel Medina Garrigues won a record fourth title between 2001 and 2006. In contrast, multiple players have won the doubles competition on several occasions. Italian Sara Errani, Slovakian Janette Husarova, and Dutch player Kimberley Zimmermann have all won the Palermo Open doubles title three times.
