It’s finals day at the Moorilla Hobart International today. We preview the centre court singles action and look at the crystal ball to predict a winner.
[1] Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) v [Q] Mona Barthel (GER)
A bit of a surprise with Barthel making it through to the final after coming through qualifying. With nothing to lose, Barthel raced through the first set against her more fancied opponent Angelique Kerber in the semi and ground out the win in the second. She has a great reach on the court, making it hard for opponents to get past her. With solid ground strokes and fleet of foot, the German will be looking to make the most of her first WTA final appearance.
Wickmayer was super impressive against Shahar Peer in the semifinal, showing off her aggressive game, hitting big from the back of the court and setting up points well. While her high level of intensity can drop from time to time in a match, the Belgian number two knows how to get out of trouble and has a great all court game. Having not dropped a set all week, Wickmayer deserves to be favourite for this match and has won the only meeting between the pair, back in 2010 in straight sets.
VERDICT: Wickmayer in three sets.