Australian Jarmila Groth will be the headline act on Tuesday evening at the Domain Tennis Centre when she takes on talented Austrian Tamira Paszek in the second round of the Moorilla Hobart International.
Groth and Paszek will round off what promises to be an enthralling day in the singles competition of the WTA Tour event, which forms part of the AO Series of pre-Australian Open tournaments.
Groth set up the meeting with Paszek with an emphatic win over Johanna Larsson (SWE) in the first round and should be a handful for Paszek, who came through qualifying in Hobart.
“A lot of people came to watch, which is really exciting and I always enjoy the support,” said Groth, who will be hoping for more of the same against Paszek.
“I’m just trying to play as well as I can so I don’t disappoint them and make them happy, excited and cheering!”
British star Elena Baltacha and Italian Roberta Vinci will get the day session off to a flying start at noon local time, before Japan’s Ayumi Morita plays the USA’s Hopman Cup heroine Bethanie Mattek-Sands.
The American came to Hobart fresh from a stellar week in Perth, where she and John Isner took the title with a win over Justine Henin and Ruben Bemelmens of Belgium in Saturday’s final.
Angelique Kerber of Germany and Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) will round off the daytime Centre Court action, which will be bolstered by Tuesday’s other singles match on Court 8. Olga Govortsova (BLR) and Shuai Peng (CHN) should produce some entertainment for fans preferring an intimate setting to savour their tennis.
Alicia Molik (AUS) will enjoy a well-earned rest from singles after beating Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden in the first round on Monday but will be back on Wednesday to take on dangerous Italian Sara Errani.
Errani will be in competitive action on Tuesday and will prepare for her meeting with Molik by taking on other Australian opposition when she and Vinci take on Jessica Moore and Daniella Dominikovic.