Hobart International a full serve

The 30th edition of the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) Hobart International tournament welcomed 32 singles players and 16 doubles pairs to play across a week of intense competition in early January.

The crowd rallied behind Australian Maya Joint as the tournament reached its climax and she overcame 2019 singles champion Sofia Kenin in the quarterfinals.

Joint faced another former tournament winner in Elise Mertens (Belgium) for the semi-final but was unable to reach her first WTA final.

Mertens entered the final in search of her third singles Hobart International title but faced a gruelling three-set challenge by American McCartney Kessler. 

Kessler claimed her second WTA title in the space of six-months with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 win.

“I would like to congratulate Elise on a great week, it’s always tough to face a player as experienced and talented as her,” Kessler said.

“Everyone’s been so friendly, it’s felt like being at home here in Hobart all week.”

On the doubles side of the draw Jiang Xinyu (China) and Wu Fang-Hsien (Taiwan) overcame Monica Niculescu (Romania) and Fanny Stollár (Hungary) in straight sets.

The victory marked Jiang Xinyu’s fifth WTA title and Wu Fang-Hsien’s third.

Minister for Sport Nick Duigan said the Hobart International had garnered a reputation for showcasing some of the top women’s tennis players in the world.

“The Hobart International is a key milestone in Tasmania’s jam-packed summer events calendar, coming off the back of other popular events including the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, Taste of Summer and BeerFest,” he said.

“To celebrate the tournament’s 30th anniversary, local tennis great Angie Cunningham was inducted into the Tennis Tasmania Hall of Fame.

“The Angie Cunningham Trophy is also named after Angie, who passed away in 2016.

“Events such as the Hobart International promote Tasmania as a premier sporting events destination and encourage interstate and international visitation to our state.”