It didn’t take long for the first upset of the Hobart International to unfold with American Lauren Davis causing a boilover in the opening match on centre court against countrywoman Sloane Stephens.
Having come through qualifying, Davis had already spent two days on the Domain Tennis Centre courts and the experience of playing in swirly winds showed as she bounced the tournament’s fourth seed out in straight sets 6-2 6-2.
A quarterfinalist in the last edition of the event in 2020, the 29-year-old needed just under 90 minutes to book her spot in the second round, controlling much of the contest.
Stephens, who also lost in the first round in Auckland last week, appeared to be mounting a comeback from 0-5 down in the second set, winning back-to-back games and holding game points on serve before eventually putting a volley into the net to hand victory to her opponent.
“It was a good match, it was super windy so actually it was very tough to handle those conditions,” Davis said.
“It was weird because it was swirling but I’m happy with the way I handled it. I didn’t get too frustrated over it, a little bit stressful towards the end but happy with how I feel.
“I do feel like I’m playing really well and most importantly, I feel like I’m handling myself really well mentally.”
The first of Australia’s wildcard recipients followed on centre court with Talia Gibson facing off against Tatjana Maria in her main draw WTA debut.
In a clash between the youngest player in the field (18) and the oldest (35), the German’s tour experience shone through in a 6-3 6-2 win.
Top seed Marie Bouzkova then opened her tournament against her opponent Jaqueline Cristian – with the underdog Romanian more than up for the fight.
Bouzkova fell behind 2-5 in the first set before fighting back to force a tie-break, going on to claim the breaker 7-2.
The arm wrestle continued in the second before the Czech gained control, breaking in the eighth game to grab a 5-3 lead then staving off a break point to close out the contest in two hours and seven minutes.
Other first round winners were fifth seed Anhelina Kalinina (UKR), who defeated Canadian Rebecca Marino 6-2 6-1 while Germany’s Laura Siegemund came from a set down to beat Tereza Martincova (CZE) 5-7 6-1 6-2.
Tomorrow’s order of play has been released and can be found here, with all the remaining round one matches to unfold in a jam packed day of action.
While the tennis will light up the courts at Domain Tennis Centre, the event will also feature a range of activities, performances and initiatives. These include:
- A celebration of Women – Wednesday 11 January
- Inspired Women’s Event hosted at Government House featuring Daria Saville (Australian Tennis star) and Libby Minogue (Chief Marketing Officer, Virgin Australia Airlines)
- Women and Girls to the front, placing women and girls in key roles such as the Officials on court and Ballkids to name a few
- A celebration of First Nations – Thursday 12 January
- A celebration of Pride – Friday 13 January
- Hobart Out Tennis Tournament starts and runs through to Sunday 15 January
- Maddy Jane performances (local Tasmanian musician out of Bruny Island) – Friday 13 January and Saturday 14 January
- Maggie and Sophie Cunningham to present the Angie Cunningham Trophy to the winner in honour of their late mother – Saturday 14 January
Tickets for the Hobart International are on sale via Ticketmaster.
Prices start from $25 for adults and general admission is free for children with a paying adult during the entire event, including finals.
Hobart International 2023 by the numbers
- Three former Hobart International singles champions: Alize Cornet (2016), Elise Mertens (2017, 2018), Sofia Kenin (2019)
- Seven current top-50 players: Marie Bouzkova (No. 24), Elise Mertens (No.29), Alize Cornet (No. 36), Sloane Stephens (No. 37), Bernarda Pera (No.43), Anhelina Kalinina (No. 47), Magda Linette (No. 48)
- Nine players who achieved career-high rankings in 2022: Marie Bouzkova, Bernarda Pera, Anhelina Kalinina, Mayar Sherif, Lucia Bronzetti, Claire Liu, Jasmine Paolini, Zhu Lin, Elisabetta Cocciaretto
- Six players who won WTA singles titles in 2022: Marie Bouzkova, Elise Mertens, Bernarda Pera, Mayar Sherif, Sloane Stephens, Tatjana Maria
- One player who made a Grand Slam semifinal in 2022: Tatjana Maria (Wimbledon)
- Three players who made Grand Slam singles quarterfinals in 2022: Alize Cornet (Australian Open), Marie Bouzkova (Wimbledon), Sloane Stephens (Roland Garros)
- Seven returning players from last event in 2020: Marie Bouzkova, Alize Cornet, Elise Mertens, Magda Linette, Alison Van Uytvanck, Zhu Lin, Madison Brengle