What do Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova have in common?
Both are Grand Slam champions and superstars of the game – but early in their careers, it was Hobart where it all began.
When Kvitova won the Hobart International title in 2009, she was an unheralded No.49-ranked 18-year-old. Two years later she became a Wimbledon champion.
Muguruza, similarly, was a relatively-unknown No.58-ranked qualifier when she won the Hobart International title in 2014. Two years later she won the French Open, and last year claimed Wimbledon in a rise to world No.1.
The Hobart International has a proud history of producing title breakthroughs – with former top 10 stars Patty Schynder (1998 champion) and Alicia Molik (2003 champion) included.
More recently, Mona Barthel (2012), Elena Vesnina (2013) and Elise Mertens (2017) also won first titles in the Tasmanian city – meaning five of the world’s current top 50 players have claimed their first titles in Hobart.
Could the 2018 tournament unearth another potential superstar? These rising stars will be hoping so, when they arrive in Hobart chasing their first WTA title:
Naomi Osaka
A highly-touted Japanese talent, Osaka made the third round on debut at all four Grand Slams and has reached a career-high ranking of No.40. The 20-year-old boasts effortless power and is one of the biggest servers in the game. She has a new coach in 2018, teaming with Sascha Bajin who has previously worked with former world No.1s Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka and most recently, Caroline Wozniacki.
Sometimes with my tennis bag people mistake me for Serena from the back, but just now some kids thought I was Kyrgios. I’m deceased 💀😂
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) December 29, 2017
Natalia Vikhlyantseva
This young Russian, who improved her ranking more than 100 places in a breakthrough 2017 season, is a star on the rise. Last year the 20-year-old made her Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open, making the second round as a qualifier. A first WTA final in June showcased her potential and she scored her first top 20 win in October, upsetting compatriot Elena Vesnina in a Moscow semifinal run.
Yulia Putintseva
Small in stature yet fiercely competitive, Putintseva hit new highs in early 2017. She made her first WTA final and broke into the world’s top 30. She was a quarterfinalist at the French Open in 2016, where it took three sets for Serena Williams to stop her. “She gives 200 per cent on every single point. She’s a fighter,” Serena noted. Yet to win a WTA title, could Hobart be where she makes her breakthrough?
Beatriz Haddad Maia
The 21-year-old Brazilian broke into the world’s top 100 in June 2017. The left-hander’s ranking peaked at a career-high No.58 after reaching her first WTA final on Seoul hard courts, where she pushed top 10 opponent Jelena Ostapenko to three sets. Haddad Maia scored five top 50 wins in her breakthrough 2017 season – including a first top 20 win over Australia’s Sam Stosur in May.
Qualifiers to watch?
Three players have won the Hobart International title as a qualifier – and it has happened three times in the past six years. Promising young players to look out for in the 2018 qualifying draw include: 21-year-old Croatian Jana Fett, who reached the Hobart International semifinals as a qualifier in 2017, and 19-year-old Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who upset US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the Fed Cup final in November.
Who do you think will win the Hobart International 2018 title? Join the #HobartTennis conversation and let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.