Image: Almodí de Xàtiva, Xàtiva
Xàtiva will host the 47th edition of the International Orysol Tennis Tournament from July 26 to August 2, with matches scheduled at the Camp Bixquert Tennis Club and free admission throughout the week. The city announced the event as one of the most established stops on the ITF calendar, and the tournament is described in the source material as the oldest in Europe in its category.
The municipal announcement places the competition within Xàtiva’s sports calendar and its broader role as a venue for major public events. The tournament was presented officially by the city council, with the local sports councillor, Vicent Lluch, taking part alongside Álvaro Sancristóbal, president of the Camp Bixquert club; Ximo Revert, the tournament director; and Ricardo Juan, representing principal sponsor Audi Motor Pacífico. The municipality framed the week-long tournament as both a sporting fixture and a point of civic visibility for the city.
According to the source, the Orysol will again bring together young international players from multiple countries, with Spain and Italy especially well represented. Competitors will play for ITF ranking points and a total prize fund of $15,000. The event also closes another edition of the Circuit Orysol, a longer-running project shared by the clubs in Gandia, Dénia and Xàtiva, which has more than four decades of history and is dedicated to supporting professional tennis and the development of emerging players.
The tournament opens with a qualifying phase, followed by the main draw. The source says 64 players will take part in the preliminary round, including 56 direct entries and eight wild cards. The final phase will include 20 direct qualifiers, four wild cards and the eight players advancing from qualifying. Among the names highlighted by the municipality are Xàtiva native Marc Martín Roca, who enters by invitation, Carlos López Montagud, and Víctor Gassó, also from Xàtiva, who will serve as head of the officiating team.
The daily schedule will begin with uninterrupted play from 9 a.m. on Sunday and Monday. From Tuesday, the final phase begins, with the last qualifying matches in the morning and the first main-draw matches in the afternoon. Starting Wednesday, the competition will be split between morning and afternoon sessions, with matches beginning at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. depending on the day.
In the city’s presentation, Lluch said the tournament helps place Xàtiva on the international tennis map and promotes it as a sports and tourism destination. Sancristóbal thanked public institutions, sponsors and collaborators for sustaining a competition he described as part of Valencian tennis heritage. Revert pointed to the Orysol’s role as a platform for players who go on to shape the professional game, citing Carlos Alcaraz, Rafa Nadal, David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero as examples of former participants. The final is scheduled for Sunday, August 2, at Camp Bixquert Tennis Club.
