Italian bank BNL has renewed an agreement that grants it title sponsorship of the Italian Open tennis tournament, which is held in Rome.
Under the new eight-year agreement, the tournament will continue to be officially titled the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. The contract includes a guaranteed six-year commitment, with the option of a further two years.
The clay-court tournament features on both the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours, holding ATP World Tour Masters 1000 and Premier 5 status, respectively.
BNL, a subsidiary of French financial services company BNP Paribas, began sponsoring the event in 2007 and its latest contract will take its commitment to 19 years.
This year’s tournament will take place in Rome from May 10-21. Andy Murray and Serena Williams are the defending men’s and women’s champions, respectively.