The Ladies Open Lausanne was originally founded in 1899 as the Swiss International Championships.

In 1898 the Swiss Lawn Tennis Association staged the event at Château d’Oex.

In 1899 an open women's singles event was added to the schedule, when the venue was still in Saint Moritz.

The Swiss International Championships were staged at the following locations throughout its run including Basel, Champéry, Geneva, Gstaad, Les Avants, Montreux, Lausanne, Lugano, Lucerne, Ragatz, St. Moritz, Zermatt, and Zurich from 1897 to 1967.

The event was called the WTA Swiss Open from 1977 to 1985, and was played on outdoor clay courts.