Draw preview: Mattek-Sands ready for Bouchard challenge

The draw is set for an exciting Hobart International 2016
9 January 2016, by Hobart International Tennis

Australian wildcards Maddison Inglis and Kimberly Birrell were on site to help with the official singles draw.

Both are preparing to make their WTA Tour main draw debuts at the tournament and admitted nerves were high as they waited for their names to be placed in the draw.

Inglis, a 17-year-old from Western Australia who won last month’s Australian Open Wildcard Play-off, has drawn Russian Margarita Gasparyan. Birrell, a 17-year-old from Queensland, faces Montenegro’s Danka Kovinic. Australia’s other hope, Jarmila Wolfe, meets a qualifier/lucky loser.

American Sloane Stephens is the top seed and will open her campaign against Japan’s Misaki Doi, while defending champion Heather Watson starts her title defence against Brazil’s Teliana Pereira.

All eyes were on where unseeded tournament draw card Eugenie Bouchard would land. The former world No.5 and Wimbledon finalist features in a strong bottom section of the draw. She meets American Bethanie Mattek-Sands in the first round.

Mattek-Sands has beaten Bouchard in their two previous meetings, the last at the Sydney International in 2014. The flamboyant American, the Hobart International runner-up in 2011 and current world No.3 in doubles, said she was ready for a tough battle.

“She’s playing good, she just made the quarterfinals at the tournament in China so she will be confident,” Mattek-Sands said.

“I think all the matches here are tough. All the girls in the first couple of weeks are trying to get their groove and get some matches in, but I’m good to go.”

Second seed Camila Giorgi of Italy was also dealt a rough draw. She plays Kazahkstan rising star Zarina Diyas, a quarterfinalist here in 2015. Third seed Dominika Cibulkova makes her Hobart International debut against rising British player Johanna Konta.

> Take a look at the full draw