It is quarterfinal day at Hobart International 2016 and we are serving up four not-to-miss singles matches.
Perhaps we should say four and a half not-to-miss matches – because last night’s postponed second round match between defending champion Heather Watson and fourth seed Monica Niculescu will also be completed. This match is scheduled third on centre court and sees Watson resume with a 3-1 lead in the final set.
A doubles quarterfinal between top-seeded Spanish pair Anabel Medina Garrigues and Arantxa Parra Santonja against the Japanese duo of Shuko Aoyama and Makoto Ninomiya is first up on centre court. The four singles quarterfinals and final second round follow, split across the day and night sessions.
Fourth seeds Darija Jurak and Nicole Melichar complete doubles quarterfinal action on Court Events Tasmania at 12pm, facing Christina McHale and Xinyun Han.
Quarterfinal: (Q) Kiki Bertens (NED) v (3) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
Head-to-head: Bertens leads 1-0
Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens swept through the qualifying draw earlier this week and has continued this form in the main draw to earn her quarterfinal spot.
In recent years we have seen Garbine Muguruza win the 2014 title as a qualifier and Madison Brengle almost do the same in 2015. Could 2016 be Bertens’ year? If it is, she will need to get past third seed Dominika Cibulkova in today’s first quarterfinal.
Cibulkova, the 2014 Australian Open finalist, is playing in Hobart for the first time and has been impressive in her opening two rounds. Yet Bertens can take confidence from a winning record against the former top 10 player, beating her in straight sets in their only previous meeting on a hardcourt in 2013.
The third-seeded Cibulkova described her round two performance as “perfect”, an ominious sign of her good form heading into this match.
Round two match reports: Bertens, Cibulkova
Second round: (4) Monica Niculescu (ROU) v Heather Watson (GBR)
Head-to-head: First meeting
The fourth seed and defending champion were locked in an epic second round battle last night before rain forced it to be postponed. Watson resumes leading 6-7(3) 6-2 3-1.
The 2015 Hobart International winner held two set points at 5-4 in the first set but did not capitalise. After dropping the first set, Watson was fighting back against an increasingly frustrated Niculescu. The big question is now, just how will the rain delay affect both players and what impact it will have on match momentum.
Quarterfinal: Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) v (2) Camila Giorgi (ITA)
Head-to-head: Bouchard leads 1-0
Bouchard’s debut in Hobart has been the talk of the town, with crowds flocking to the Domain Tennis Centre to see the popular former world No.5 in action.
She has survived two tough tests so far in 2011 finalist Bethanie Mattek-Sands and eighth seed Alison Van Uytvanck, but her biggest test yet awaits in the quarterfinals. Italian Camila Giorgi, the tournament’s second seed and highest ranked player in the draw, stands in the way of a semifinal berth.
“She’s a great ball striker and can really hit the ball hard, so I’ll need to be ready for anything that comes my way and try neutralise her, then step in and try to be aggressive,” Bouchard said.
The Canadian beat Giorgi in their only previous meeting, but said the win on clay in 2013 would not give her an advantage.
“(That match) really has nothing to do with this next match, because it’s so different,” she said.
Bouchard has claimed she has no expectations as she makes her comeback from an injury-savaged 2015 season, but the competitiveness from one of the title favourites has been evident on court so far this week.
“I don’t expect anything, but at the same time I always expect so much from myself,” Bouchard explained.
Round two match reports: Bouchard, Giorgi
Quarterfinal: Winner of Niculescu/Watson v Johanna Larsson (SWE)
The winner of this afternoon’s postponed second round match between Niculescu and Watson returns to centre court to open the night session. They will face Swede Johanna Larsson.
Larsson has progressed through the draw with little fanfare. She eliminated sixth seed Barbora Strycova in the first round, then quelled the big-hitting Margarita Gasparyan in round two. The world No.54 might not have dominated the headlines like some of her fellow quarterfinalists, but Larsson has proved she should not be discounted.
Round two match reports: Larsson
Quarterfinal: (9) Mona Barthel (GER) v (7) Alize Cornet (FRA)
Head-to-head: First meeting
They are one-time doubles partners and tour regulars – yet tonight’s quarterfinal marks the first meeting between Barthel and Cornet.
Both have fought hard to earn their places, with Cornet needing nearly three hours to win her second round match and Barthel overcoming an injury scare to win hers. It sets up an appetising clash between two popular players here in Hobart.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough match, she’s a really good player and really fighting a lot on the court,” Barthel said.
Barthel thrives at the Domain Tennis Centre, where she has a 15-3 win-loss record, but will have to be at her best to handle Cornet’s game, which is built around a never-say-die attitude.
Round two match reports: Barthel, Cornet
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