How to watch WTA Merida Open live on TV or stream in the UK, USA or Australia

The final event of February arrives at the Merida Open, a WTA 500 tournament that begins the week prior to the start of the Sunshine Double in Indian Wells. It will be only the 4th edition of the Mexican tournament, and it will be played on outdoor hard courts at the Yucatan Country Club between February 23 and March 1.

Merida emerges as an ideal destination for players looking to fine-tune their game and gain competitive rhythm ahead of the WTA 1000 events at Indian Wells and Miami Open, also considering the similar climate conditions and its location in North America.

The defending champion on this occasion will be the American Emma Navarro, who claimed the title in the first year after the upgrade from WTA 250 to WTA 500, with an impressive 6-0, 6-0 final over Colombian Emiliana Arango. In previous years, the champions were the retired Camila Giorgi and the young Tunisian Zeynep Sonmez – who on this occasion opted not to travel to Merida.

As in 2025, Navarro arrives as the first seed and clear favourite to defend the title that makes up an important part of her WTA points. However, she will have several contenders who will look to seize their opportunity in a tournament that does not concentrate too many top-tier names from the Tour. Diana Shnaider and Jaqueline Cristian will be among the highest-ranked players in the draw, and major threats to Navarro.

However, there is also room for players who, for different reasons, have fallen in the rankings and see in Merida a good opportunity to bounce back with a strong haul of points at stake. The former Indian Wells champion Paula Badosa and former top-10 Beatriz Haddad Maia are among the most notable, in a draw that will also include Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic and the young rising Janice Tjen – one of the names that has been making headlines since late 2025.