France's Fiona Ferro in action. File/AFP

France's Fiona Ferro shocked fourth-seed Estonian Anett Kontaveit to win the Palermo Ladies Open, the first post-coronavirus tennis tournament on Sunday.

The 53rd-ranked Ferro came through 6-2, 7-5 in one hour 43 minutes on her second match point against Kontaveit, ranked 22nd, and an Australian Open quarter-finalist this year.

The 23-year-old Ferro claimed her second WTA after Lausanne last year, which will see her break into the top 50 next week.

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Kontaveit had ousted Croatian top seed Petra Martic, ranked 15th, in the semi-final of the $222,500 tournament on Saturday.

"I think it was my best match of the week," Ferro said.

"I wasn't really feeling pressure. It was a tough match because she's a really consistent player who doesn't give you too many points.

"But I had a good intensity throughout the whole match."

Despite the absence of the big names, all eyes were on Palermo to see if the health measures were sufficient for a safe return to competition which had been suspended for five months.

A player tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival in Sicily and withdrew from the tournament, having stayed in her hotel while awaiting the results.

Controls were strict with only 300 spectators allowed at a clay-court venue which has a daily capacity of 1,500.

The season will continue next week with WTA events in Prague and Lexington, with the US Open starting on Aug. 31.