Tennis: Fiona Ferro wins second consecutive title at WTA 125 Montreux

After a short US Open, defeated in the first round of qualifying, Valbonnaise Fiona Ferro bounced back the following week by winning the ITF tournament in Saint-Palais-sur-Mer. On a roll, the French player, ranked 141st in the WTA rankings, traveled to Switzerland this week to participate in the WTA 125 in Montreux, as the number 4 seed.

As the number 4 seed, Fiona Ferro got off to a good start this week by defeating her first round opponent Mona Barthel (205th). More consistent and well-helped by her opponent of the day, who committed 9 double faults throughout the match, the Valbonnaise won her match in two sets 6/3-6/4.

In the second round, the French player faced Barbora Palicova. The Czech player was also coming off a very encouraging week, having won an ITF tournament in Poland. After a disjointed start to the first set, with two breaks on each side, Fiona Ferro made the difference at the crucial moment, breaking her opponent’s serve at 5-4 in her favor to wrap up the set. The same scenario unfolded in the second set, where the French player also prevailed after breaking in the final game. Final score 6/4-6/4.

In the quarterfinals on Friday, Fiona Ferro faced Lucie Havlickova. After breaking first at the start of the match, the French player ended up being broken back. More effective on return throughout the first set, she won it 6-4 by breaking her opponent’s serve at the end of the set. In the second set, she relied on her consistency on serve to shorten the rallies. Across the net, the Czech player was completely overwhelmed, unable to score more than two points on her first two service games. The score quickly mounted, leaving a clear path for the Côte d’Azur player who concluded her eighth consecutive victory with a crushing 6-0.

Seeds to finish

It was with unwavering confidence that the Valbonnaise took to the court in the semifinal against the player who was considered a serious contender in the tournament, Hungarian Dalma Galfi. A player who regularly hovers around the top 100 but who was having a difficult 2026. This was evident in the first set. Fiona Ferro, always so sharp on serve, was never troubled. By quickly securing a double break, the Côte d’Azur player cruised to take a 6-1 lead in 32 minutes.

After that, the French player likely paid the price for a slight excess of confidence. Combined with the pride of the champion opposite, Fiona Ferro was caught off guard at the start of the second set and found herself trailing on the scoreboard. With a double break in hand, Dalma Galfi managed her service games better and managed to level the match at one set each: 6-2.

A warning that the Maralpine took seriously in the final set. Close to falling into the trap again, the French tricolor managed to find the resources to hold her serve at the start of the set. By staying ahead, Fiona Ferro succeeded in making her opponent doubt herself in an end to the match where every game was hotly contested, with no fewer than eight break points saved in total. In the end, it was indeed the adopted Maralpine who qualified for the final (6-1/2-6/6-0) in 1 hour 42 minutes.

On Sunday, to conclude her second consecutive week of competition, Fiona Ferro faced young German Noma Noha Akugue (22 years old, 137th in the world). As the tournament’s number 3 seed, she had benefited from a generally easy run to the final. But facing a highly motivated Fiona Ferro, the young player was not up to the task in this encounter dominated from start to finish by the Côte d’Azur player. A match settled in 1 hour 15 minutes (6-1/6-2) in which her opponent completely missed the mark.

This is therefore a second title on the circuit in just fifteen days for Fiona Ferro on clay, her favorite surface. Thanks to this new fine performance, she will earn 125 points, which should theoretically place her at the gates of the top 100 starting tomorrow. Now, it should be time to rest before returning to the courts at the end of the month.