Every year, professional players from several countries land in Vacaria for a stop on the ITF circuit. What the tournament is and what it means for the town.
Anyone passing through Vacaria in July notices something different. On the streets downtown you hear Spanish, English, Italian. In restaurants, tables full of athletes and coaches. In hotels, guests who came from far away for one very specific reason: to play tennis.
It is the Vacaria Open, a stop on the ITF Women’s World Tennis Tour, the professional women’s circuit that serves as the gateway to the WTA. And it happens here, in the Campos de Cima da Serra, the highland plateau of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state.
A real professional tournament
The Vacaria Open is played at Tênis Santa Teresa, on indoor clay courts, a setup that is uncommon even in Brazil’s state capitals. The tournament has already reached the W75 tier, with prize money in dollars and draws of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams.
The first edition took place in December 2023 and was won by France’s Séléna Janicijevic. Since then the tournament has grown and started attracting players with steadily better rankings. In 2026 the singles title went to Argentina’s Julia Riera, who beat Peru’s Lucciana Pérez Alarcón in the final. In doubles, the Brazilian pair Naná Silva and Laura Pigossi took the trophy.
Why it matters for Vacaria
An international tournament does not just fill the courts. It fills the town.
Each player arrives with a coach, a fitness trainer and sometimes family. That is dozens of people who need lodging, meals and transport for a full week. Add organisers, officials and spectators, and the impact on the local economy is real.
For anyone working in hospitality in Vacaria, July has become a month marked on the calendar. Together with the Rodeo, it is one of the periods when the town welcomes visitors in volume.
What it is like to watch
Most ITF tournaments have free or token-priced admission, and the courts are close to the public. It is a rare chance to see professional tennis up close, without the distance of a big stadium. Fans of the sport usually leave impressed by the technical level of players who are not yet household names, but who may be at a Grand Slam within a few years.
If you are coming for the tournament
Plaza Hotel is in the centre of Vacaria, a few minutes from the courts. We have covered parking for every guest, a full breakfast included and air-conditioned rooms, details that make a difference when you spend the whole day out and need to rest well at night.
If you are coming to the Vacaria Open, talk to us on WhatsApp and book early. During tournament week, the town fills up.