KITZBÜHEL/STARNBERG, January 23, 2026
The LADIES OPEN Amstetten powered by SPORTLAND Niederösterreich will be staged as an ITF World Tennis Tour W100 tournament in 2026, marking a significant upgrade for the event. As a result, total prize money will increase from USD 60,000 to USD 100,000, placing the tournament among the highest-paying events on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour.
Due to a nationwide reorganization of Austria’s women’s tennis calendar, the tournament will also move to a new date and will take place from July 19 to 26, 2026. This means the event will run parallel to the Generali Open, the ATP 250 men’s tournament in Kitzbühel. The key decisions regarding the upgrade and rescheduling were announced during a press conference held alongside the Kitzbühel Streif ski event.
Upgrade Following a Successful 2025 Edition
After the sporting and organizational success of the 2025 edition, the promotion to ITF W100 represents the next major step in the development of international women’s tennis in Amstetten.
“Thanks to the support of our sponsors, we can take women’s tennis in Amstetten to a new level,” said tournament organizer Thomas Dappers. “This upgrade is a strong confirmation of the work we have done over the past two years.”
Close Coordination with Kitzbühel
The change in dates is closely linked to the expansion of Austria’s women’s tennis calendar. One week before the Generali Open, Kitzbühel will now host a WTA 125 women’s tournament.
“Kitzbühel and Amstetten complement each other perfectly from a sporting perspective,” explained LADIES OPEN Amstetten tournament director Thorsten Liebich. “Players will have the opportunity to compete in two high-level tournaments back-to-back within Austria, without the burden of long travel. We see great potential in this development and want to strengthen women’s tennis in Austria together with Kitzbühel in a sustainable way.”
More Opportunities for Austrian Players
For many years, apart from the WTA 500 event in Linz, Austrian players had only limited opportunities to compete in international tournaments at home. With the new tournaments in Kitzbühel and Amstetten, Austria will now benefit from a coherent and high-profile summer tournament window for women’s tennis.
In response, Thomas Dappers and Florian Zinnagl, Managing Director of KTC Turnier GmbH, have agreed on close cooperation between the two women’s events. Further details of this partnership will be finalized in the coming months.
Shared Vision for the Future
Joint initiatives are already being discussed, including a potential award for the best overall performer across both tournaments or coordinated marketing efforts for women’s events. Looking further ahead, Dappers emphasized the long-term vision:
“For 2026, we were already close to hosting an even bigger tournament format. However, the step up to ITF W100 is exactly right for us at this moment. Our goal remains to offer Austria’s female players a well-structured tournament landscape – from major WTA events for top players to ITF tournaments that serve as an entry point for the next generation of talent.”
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