Ferro moves into Top 50 with Palermo win

The eyes of the tennis world were on Sicily last week as it hosted the first WTA tournament since the season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event attracted a high-quality field, with several Top 30 players looking to feel their way back into competitive tennis following the long layoff. And at the end of a keenly disputed week it was France’s Fiona Ferro who lifted the trophy.

Buoyed by two FFT Challenge Elite stage wins in the lead-up to the tournament, the 23-year-old from Nice was rewarded for her consistent play with a second career title, secured with a 6-2 7-5 defeat of Anett Kontaveit in the final.

“I am delighted to finish the week by coming away with the trophy,” said Ferro in the press conference that followed her win. “It’s given me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season and I want to work even harder now and win some even bigger titles.”

The French player has moved up to 44th in the WTA Rankings on the back of a hugely impressive run of 15 straight wins, ten of which came in those two Challenge Elite tournaments and five in Palermo. She is now looking to keep that sequence in upcoming tournaments.