PARMA/STARNBERG, May 9, 2026
Preparations are intensifying for the sixth edition of the Parma Ladies Open presented by Iren, the WTA 125 event organized by MEF Tennis Events and Tennis Club Parma, which is set to begin on Monday, May 11. As anticipation builds ahead of the official draw ceremony, tournament organizers have announced the first wild card recipients for both the main draw and qualifying competition.
Italian players Lisa Pigato and Lucia Bronzetti, alongside former World No. 21 Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine, have all been awarded main-draw wild cards, while Federica Urgesi and Marta Lombardini will compete in the qualifying tournament thanks to special invitations.
Two years after their last appearance in Parma, both Pigato and Bronzetti will return to the Emilia-Romagna clay courts with high expectations. Twenty-two-year-old Pigato, currently Italy’s No. 3 player and ranked No. 141 in the world, is enjoying the best form of her career after capturing three titles during the opening months of the 2026 season.
Pigato also shares a special connection with Parma, where in 2021 she earned the opportunity to face Serena Williams in the first round of the WTA 250 event after coming through qualifying with wins over Leonie Kung and Liudmila Samsonova.
Bronzetti, meanwhile, arrives eager to regain consistency and move back toward the Top 100. The 27-year-old from Rimini reached a career-high ranking of No. 46 in April 2024 and will use the Parma tournament as an important opportunity during the clay-court season.
One of the biggest attractions of the tournament will undoubtedly be Dayana Yastremska. The Ukrainian star, born in Odessa in 2000, owns three WTA Tour titles and reached the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open. Her presence further strengthens a field already expected to deliver high-quality tennis from the opening rounds.
The qualifying draw is also beginning to take shape. Alongside the six players directly accepted through ranking, Italian youngsters Federica Urgesi and Marta Lombardini have received wild cards into the qualifying competition.
Urgesi, a former Top 10 junior, has made encouraging progress during her transition to the professional circuit. At the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, she impressed by advancing through the pre-qualifying tournament and winning two qualifying matches against Renata Zarazua and Veronika Erjavec before eventually losing in the main draw to Switzerland’s Viktorija Golubic.
Lombardini also gained valuable experience in Rome despite an opening-round qualifying loss to former World No. 32 Ajla Tomljanovic. Tournament organizers believe the young Italian possesses significant potential and the qualities needed to compete at this level in the near future.
