The countdown to Hobart International 2018 is on – and there is now just over a week until some of the world’s best players hit the Domain Tennis Centre.
But first, most of the competitors are beginning their seasons at events across three different countries. From Australia to New Zealand and China, here is a guide to where the Hobart competitors are in the first week of the new season:
Perth, Australia
Elise Mertens is representing Belgium at the ITF-sanctioned Mastercard Hopman Cup in Perth. The Hobart International 2017 champion is making her debut at the teams event, aiming to build her form ahead of the challenge of defending a WTA title for the first time when she arrives in Hobart. Canadian Eugenie Bouchard and Japan’s Naomi Osaka are also competing in Perth.
Brisbane, Australia
Former Hobart International champion Alize Cornet begins her season at the Brisbane International. The Frenchwoman thrives in the Australian conditions, reaching the final at last year’s event. Fellow top 40 star Sorana Cirstea is also competing in the Queensland capital, along with Lesia Tsurenko, Tatjana Maria, Natalia Vikhlyantseva and rising Australian star Jaimee Fourlis.
Auckland, New Zealand
German Mona Barthel, the Hobart International champion in 2012, begins her season in Auckland. Exciting young talents Donna Vekic and Marketa Vondrousova, both set to make their Hobart debuts in 2018, are also competing in New Zealand. As are Yulia Putintseva, Varvara Lepchenko and Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Shenzhen, China
World No.35 Zhang Shuai, the highest-ranked player to enter the Hobart International in 2018, begins her season at home in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Czech Katerina Siniakova is the defending champion in a field that includes fellow Hobart competitors Irina-Camelia Begu, Timea Babos, Michaela Buzarnescu, Kristyna Pliskova and Alison Riske.
> Take a look at the Hobart 2018 field
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