The Hobart International is a women's professional tennis tournament held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia. The tournament was founded in 1994 as the Tasmanian International Open,[1] it forms a part of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour and is classed as a WTA 250 tournament (previously International and Tier IV). It is competed on outdoor hardcourts, and is held in the run-up to the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, the Australian Open as part of the Australian Open Series.

Hobart International
WTA Tour
Founded1994; 30 years ago (1994)
LocationHobart
Australia
VenueDomain Tennis Centre
CategoryWTA 250
SurfaceHard (Plexicushion) – outdoors
Draw32S / 24Q / 16D
Prize moneyUS$267,082 (2024)
WebsiteHobartInternational.com.au
Current champions (2024)
SinglesUnited States Emma Navarro
DoublesChinese Taipei Chan Hao-ching
Mexico Giuliana Olmos

The tournament is held at the Hobart International Tennis Centre. It was previously sponsored by Moorilla Wines, ANZ and Schweppes. The tournament has played host to a number of top players in the past, such as World #1's Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and Serena Williams. Other top players who have participated in the event include Australian Open and Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie, and current/former Top 10 players Jelena Dokić, Alicia Molik, Flavia Pennetta, Chanda Rubin, Patty Schnyder, Samantha Stosur and Vera Zvonareva.

History

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In 1893 the Tasmanian Lawn Tennis Championships were established as a combined men's and women's international tennis tournament. In 1969 that tournament's name was changed to the Tasmanian Open Championships,[2] becoming the Tasmanian Open[3] played in Hobart on hard courts in 1978. That tournament ended in 1980. In 1994 this successor event for former women's tournament was revived as the Tasmanian International Open[4] and remained branded under that name until 2003 when the tournament name was changed to the Moorilla Hobart International. In 2014 the tournament was rebranded again as the Hobart International.

Redevelopment

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Prior to the Australian Open changing its court surface, the tournament was played on Rebound Ace. When the Australian Open changed to Plexicushion in 2008, all Australian Open Series tournaments were required to change their court surfaces to Plexicushion. The Moorilla Hobart International, however, retained Rebound Ace. Tennis Australia announced that in order for Hobart to keep its tournament, it was required to make significant improvements to the facility, including resurfacing the courts to Plexicushion and improving the seating facilities. The Domain Tennis Centre resurfaced its hardcourts to Plexicushion in late 2008, in time for the 2009 tournament.

Midway through 2009, the Tasmanian Government announced a $2.25 million to fund redevelopments to the Domain Tennis Centre over 2009–10.[5] This announcement was to ensure that the Moorilla Hobart International tournament was retained. Prior to the 2010 singles final, representatives from Tennis Australia, along with tournament director Michael Roberts, announced that the future of the tournament would be secured through to 2013.[6]

In 2009, the Domain Tennis Centre began a series of redevelopments in order to ensure the tournament's future.[7] The first stage of these redevelopments included the demolition of the northern seating to make way for a permanent Corporate Stand and also a new Media Stand at the southern end of the Centre Court. This was completed prior to the 2010 tournament. The second stage of the redevelopment is to construct new permanent grandstands at the eastern and western ends of the court, increasing seating from around 1000 spectators to 2800. The redevelopment was completed by the 2011 tournament.[8]

Past finals

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Singles

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Year Champion Runner-up Score
↓  Tier IV  ↓
1994   Mana Endo   Rachel McQuillan 6–1, 6–7 (1–7), 6–4
1995   Leila Meskhi   Li Fang 6–2, 6–3
1996   Julie Halard-Decugis   Mana Endo 6–1, 6–2
1997   Dominique van Roost   Marianne Werdel Witmeyer 6–3, 6–3
1998   Patty Schnyder   Dominique van Roost 6–3, 6–2
1999   Chanda Rubin   Rita Grande 6–2, 6–3
2000   Kim Clijsters   Chanda Rubin 2–6, 6–2, 6–2
↓  Tier V  ↓
2001   Rita Grande   Jennifer Hopkins 0–6, 6–3, 6–3
2002   Martina Suchá   Anabel Medina Garrigues 7–6 (9–7), 6–1
2003   Alicia Molik   Amy Frazier 6–2, 4–6, 6–4
2004   Amy Frazier   Shinobu Asagoe 6–3, 6–3
2005   Zheng Jie   Gisela Dulko 6–2, 6–0
↓  Tier IV  ↓
2006   Michaëlla Krajicek   Iveta Benešová 6–2, 6–1
2007   Anna Chakvetadze   Vasilisa Bardina 6–3, 7–6 (7–3)
2008   Eleni Daniilidou   Vera Zvonareva walkover
↓  International  ↓
2009   Petra Kvitová   Iveta Benešová 7–5, 6–1
2010   Alona Bondarenko   Shahar Pe'er 6–2, 6–4
2011   Jarmila Groth   Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6–4, 6–3
2012   Mona Barthel   Yanina Wickmayer 6–1, 6–2
2013   Elena Vesnina   Mona Barthel 6–3, 6–4
2014   Garbiñe Muguruza   Klára Zakopalová 6–4, 6–0
2015   Heather Watson   Madison Brengle 6–3, 6–4
2016   Alizé Cornet   Eugenie Bouchard 6–1, 6–2
2017   Elise Mertens   Monica Niculescu 6–3, 6–1
2018   Elise Mertens (2)   Mihaela Buzărnescu 6–1, 4–6, 6–3
2019   Sofia Kenin   Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6–3, 6–0
2020   Elena Rybakina   Zhang Shuai 7–6(9–7), 6–3
2021 not held
2022
2023   Lauren Davis   Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7–6(7–0), 6–2
2024   Emma Navarro   Elise Mertens 6–1, 4–6, 7–5

Doubles

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Year Champions Runners-up Score
1994   Linda Wild
  Chanda Rubin
  Jenny Byrne
  Rachel McQuillan
7–5, 4–6, 7–6(7–1)
1995   Kyōko Nagatsuka
  Ai Sugiyama
  Manon Bollegraf
  Larisa Neiland
2–6, 6–4, 6–2
1996   Yayuk Basuki
  Kyōko Nagatsuka (2)
  Kerry-Anne Guse
  Park Sung-hee
7–6(9–7), 6–3
1997   Naoko Kijimuta
  Nana Miyagi
  Barbara Rittner
  Dominique Monami
6–3, 6–1
1998   Virginia Ruano Pascual
  Paola Suárez
  Julie Halard-Decugis
  Janette Husárová
7–6(8–6), 6–3
1999   Mariaan de Swardt
  Elena Tatarkova
  Alexia Dechaume-Balleret
  Émilie Loit
6–2, 6–2
2000   Rita Grande
  Émilie Loit
  Kim Clijsters
  Alicia Molik
6–2, 2–6, 6–3
2001   Cara Black
  Elena Likhovtseva
  Ruxandra Dragomir
  Virginia Ruano Pascual
6–4, 6–1
2002   Tathiana Garbin
  Rita Grande (2)
  Catherine Barclay-Reitz
  Christina Wheeler
6–2, 7–6(7–3)
2003   Cara Black (2)
  Elena Likhovtseva (2)
  Barbara Schett
  Patricia Wartusch
7–5, 7–6(7–1)
2004   Shinobu Asagoe
  Seiko Okamoto
  Els Callens
  Barbara Schett
2–6, 6–4, 6–3
2005   Yan Zi
  Zheng Jie
  Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Dinara Safina
6–4, 7–5
2006   Émilie Loit (2)
  Nicole Pratt
  Jill Craybas
  Jelena Kostanić
6–2, 6–1
2007   Elena Likhovtseva (3)
  Elena Vesnina
  Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Virginia Ruano Pascual
2–6, 6–1, 6–2
2008   Anabel Medina Garrigues
  Virginia Ruano Pascual (2)
  Eleni Daniilidou
  Jasmin Wöhr
6–2, 6–4
2009   Gisela Dulko
  Flavia Pennetta
  Alona Bondarenko
  Kateryna Bondarenko
6–2, 7–6(7–4)
2010   Chuang Chia-jung
  Květa Peschke
  Chan Yung-jan
  Monica Niculescu
3–6, 6–3, [10–7]
2011   Sara Errani
  Roberta Vinci
  Kateryna Bondarenko
  Līga Dekmeijere
6–3, 7–5
2012   Irina-Camelia Begu
  Monica Niculescu
  Chuang Chia-jung
  Marina Erakovic
6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–4), [10–5]
2013   Garbiñe Muguruza
  María Teresa Torró Flor
  Tímea Babos
  Mandy Minella
6–3, 7–6(7–5)
2014   Monica Niculescu (2)
  Klára Zakopalová
  Lisa Raymond
  Zhang Shuai
6–2, 6–7(5–7), [10–8]
2015   Kiki Bertens
  Johanna Larsson
  Vitalia Diatchenko
  Monica Niculescu
7–5, 6–3
2016   Han Xinyun
  Christina McHale
  Kimberly Birrell
  Jarmila Wolfe
6–3, 6–0
2017   Raluca Olaru
  Olga Savchuk
  Gabriela Dabrowski
  Yang Zhaoxuan
0–6, 6–4, [10–5]
2018   Elise Mertens
  Demi Schuurs
  Lyudmyla Kichenok
  Makoto Ninomiya
6–2, 6–2
2019   Chan Hao-ching
  Latisha Chan
  Kirsten Flipkens
  Johanna Larsson
6–3, 3–6, [10–6]
2020   Nadiia Kichenok
  Sania Mirza
  Peng Shuai
  Zhang Shuai
6–4, 6–4
2021 not held
2022
2023   Kirsten Flipkens
  Laura Siegemund
  Viktorija Golubic
  Panna Udvardy
6–4, 7–5
2024   Chan Hao-ching (2)
  Giuliana Olmos
  Guo Hanyu
  Jiang Xinyu
6–3, 6–3

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Endo Wins First Event". Cumberland Sunday Times News. Cumberland, Maryland, USA: Newspaper Archives. 16 January 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Miss Casals Advances". Phoenix Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona, United States: Newspaper Archives. 4 January 1969. p. 96. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  3. ^ Barrett, John; Tingay, Lance (1979). World of tennis : a BP yearbook. 1979. London: Macdonald and Jane's. p. 191. ISBN 0354090682.
  4. ^ "Endo Wins First Event". Cumberland Sunday Times News. Cumberland, Maryland, USA: Newspaper Archives. 16 January 1994. p. 17. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  5. ^ "$6.5 Million for Sport and Recreation Infrastructure". tas.gov.au. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "Event's future secured". themercury.com.au. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  7. ^ "Development begins at the Domain Tennis Centre". hobartinternational.com.au. 24 August 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  8. ^ "Celebrating 25 years in Hobart". Hobart International. 31 December 2017.
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