• The 31st Palermo Ladies Open will take place August 3 – 9 in Italy
• World No.15 Petra Martic is the top seed and a favorite to win
• Read below for a preview and betting prediction

Tennis is back with the WTA tour resuming in Italy. The Palermo Ladies Open takes place this week, marking the return of tour-level tennis after a five month break.

The first Main Draw after five months 👀#PLO20 @wta pic.twitter.com/ESFCo35gdR

— Palermo Ladies Open (@LadiesOpenPA) August 1, 2020

Three WTA top-20 players are headlining the tournament. However, neither finalist from last year’s tournament, Kiki Bertens or Jil Teichmann, will be participating. Despite being one of the smaller events on the women’s tour, do not let the size of the tournament mislead you. 21 of the past 25 champions have been in the top-20 at some point in their career.

WTA Palermo Open Odds

All odds taken Aug. 2nd.

Petra Martic and Marketa Vondrousova

Martic and Vondrousova are seeded one and two, and are both listed at +550 odds to win the tournament. Many are looking at Martic to have the upper hand in this tournament having played some successful tennis in 2020. Martic’s play on clay is also something to keep in mind in this tournament. Last year she earned at the time, a tour-leading 15th clay win in June at the French Open. But she also has yet to play on the surface this season.

The Croatian came off the best season of her career in 2019, and was able to continue the momentum into 2020, making it to the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.

Look for Martic to play a tough match to start her tournament, facing Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck. The two have played each other once before at the 2018 Australian Open.

"It feels great, I really missed it!"

No.1 seed @PetraMartic1991 is raring to go at the @LadiesOpenPA! pic.twitter.com/Kvim5CED0Q

— wta (@WTA) August 2, 2020

Vondrousova cut her 2019 season short after Wimbledon due to a wrist injury. It seems that she was able to make a full recovery and come back, after showing no signs of weakness reaching the quarterfinals at the Adelaide International tournament in January.

We don’t know who Vondrousova will play in her opening match just yet. She’s scheduled to play a qualifier. But it’s Dayana Yastremska and Camilia Giorgi who could make Vondrousova’s road to the finals difficult.

No.2 seed @VondrousovaM is ready for the @LadiesOpenPA 💪 pic.twitter.com/TlWDPeKJqS

— wta (@WTA) August 2, 2020

Who to Watch

Maria Sakkari and Elise Mertens are two other players that you should watch out for. Their odds going into the tournament aren’t far off from the favorites, but they both have the ability to go far. Sakkari is seeded third, but has a big first matchup against Kristyna Pliskova. The two have faced each other before, with Sakkari going home with the win, but Pliskova has a big serve that could dictate the match. Sakkari’s section could have some possible upsets to keep an eye out for.

No.5 seed @elise_mertens getting familiar with the clay at the @LadiesOpenPA ☀️🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/QFwHRWBJSB

— wta (@WTA) August 1, 2020

Mertens comes into action against a qualifier as well, so we’re not sure how her opening match will go. But Mertens has played some tennis in 2020, and hasn’t seemed to take it easy during the break she received due to the pandemic, according to social media.

Best Bet

After months and months of really no tennis, it’s hard to predict who will come out on top. Many players have been keeping up with their practices and playing in smaller tournaments, but some haven’t. The first round of matches will be the best indication of where this tournament will go and who will take the top prize. Right now, obviously Martic and Vondrousova are the ones that are expected to go far. But again, keep an eye out for Mertens and Sakkari.

Best Bet: Petra Martic (+550)