Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto has stormed into her maiden WTA final after defeating former Hobart International and Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in a gripping three set encounter at the Domain Tennis Centre.
The powerful baseliner, who has seen her ranking climb from 750 at the end of 2018 to her current position as world No. 67, entered the tournament with just one semi-final appearance to her name in Guadalajara in 2021.
However throughout the week in Hobart she has proven she is a star on the rise and it was Kenin who became her latest victim 7-5 4-6 6-1 in a two hour and eight minute classic.
Cocciaretto mixed an array of brilliant backhand and forehand winners with some nerves of steel in the first set – she saved four of the five break points she faced and on several other occasions got herself out of sticky situations – before breaking the 2019 champion in the 11th game and serving out the set.
The second set followed a similar script to the first when the pair traded breaks in the third and fourth games, before Kenin upped the ante in the 10th game to break her opponent to love to square the ledger.
From there Cocciaretto elevated her game to another level, breaking twice to dash to a 3-0 lead and then in the most pivotal point of the contest recovered from 0-40 in the fourth game – and saved another two break points with two big aces – to blaze the path to the final.
“It’s unbelievable to be here in the final, it was unexpected again, because, I mean, she’s a very good player and I tried to do my best today and it worked,” the 21-year-old said.
“She was very aggressive in the second set, at 5-4 she played unbelievable. I was a bit nervous and a little bit off the court, but I think that she did well and I tried to do the same in the third set, to be more aggressive and I think I played a really good set.
“It’s another match to play for me, it’s important to play matches and to improve and I think that this mentality [is what she will take into the final].”
Despite the defeat Kenin, who lifted the Australian Open crown in 2020 but has since lost essentially a year’s worth of tennis to various injuries and battled form, will take plenty of confidence into the first Grand Slam of the year next week.
“I thought my energy went down a bit and I was a bit exhausted but she played well,” Kenin said.
“It was just tough conditions for me today. I feel like she played better obviously. I could have done things better and like in a few moments, but it just didn’t go my way today.
“I think this was a good tournament for me and I’ve loved coming back again.”
While Cocciaretto will be featuring in her first WTA final, her opponent on Saturday Lauren Davis is returning to a title decider for the first time in six years.
Lauren Davis progresses through to the Singles Final at the Hobart International 2023. Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images
The American, who has been a model of consistency since 2012 in finishing every year in the top 100 players on tour bar 2018, defeated Anna Blinkova 6-3 6-3 to book her spot.
Davis recovered from a slow start where she fell behind 0-3 to peel off six straight games, and didn’t take her foot off the gas in the second set, breaking Blinkova twice again to win after 91 minutes on court.
“I think it was a combination of her coming out pretty strong and also maybe I started a little bit slow, a little bit flat footed,” said Davis, who has not featured in a final since winning the title in Auckland in 2017.
“But she hits the ball very, very powerfully so it was easy to get kind of overwhelmed by that, but I’m happy that I didn’t get down on myself for anything, just kind of stayed tenacious.
“It’s been a while [since her last appearance in a final] so I’m going to soak it up and enjoy it.”
Tomorrow’s final will start at 1pm, with the singles to be followed by the doubles.
While the tennis will light up the courts at Domain Tennis Centre, the day of Finals will also feature:
- Maddy Jane performance (local Tasmanian musician out of Bruny Island) – Saturday 14 January at 12:20pm
- 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 final of the Hobart International are on sale via Ticketmaster and start from $49^ for adults. General admission is free* for children with a paying adult during the entire event, including finals.
Gates open at 11:30am.