The main draw for the Hobart International unfolded on Saturday afternoon, setting up a potential second round blockbuster between two former champions.
The only dual winner in Hobart – Elise Mertens who went back-to-back in 2017-2018 – has drawn a qualifier for her first-round assignment either Monday or Tuesday.
Should the second-seeded Belgian progress, she could be on a collision course with one of the other two former champions in the 2023 field in American Sofia Kenin.
Kenin, the 2019 champion and winner of the 2020 Australian Open, was awarded a wildcard into this year’s Hobart International.
She landed in the bottom quarter of the draw alongside Mertens, and will meet China’s Lin Zhu in the first round before the potential of a mouth-watering clash with world No. 29 Mertens.
The third former Hobart champion in the field, France’s Alize Cornet (2016), has drawn Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto, while American Sloane Stephens, the fourth seed for the tournament who also received a wildcard, will face a qualifier.
Two Australians were handed wildcards into the main draw, with Talia Gibson to face German Tatjana Maria, while Olivia Gadecki will meet one of the six qualifiers. Top seed Marie Bouzkova will start her campaign against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian.
Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, who won her maiden tour title in 2022 at Parma, took part in the draw and said it is one of the deepest fields she has seen for a WTA250 event.
The world No. 52 will also face a qualifier in the opening round, which brings its own set of challenges.
“The draw is tough. I mean, for a 250, this is a very tough tournament, everybody’s looking to play before the AO [Australian Open] to get some rhythm,” Sherif said.
“Tough to [face] anybody in the list. [I have] a qualifier, so that’s going to be tough too, because they get two wins and you go playing someone who already has got two wins.
“They have rhythm, they have already got on the court with the balls and the wind, it’s not easy to play someone like that.”
The order of play for the first day of main draw action on Monday will be decided tomorrow.
Day two of qualifying on Sunday 8 January is again open to the general public as part of the Free Qualifying Weekend, giving the local community a taste of what they can expect during the week. Kids go free* for the entire week of the tournament with any paying adult.
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:
- Free Qualifying Weekend – Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 January
- Opening Round – Monday 9 January
- 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 Janaury
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