Hobart International

The Hobart International is one of the WTA 250 events held before the Australian Open to give players a proper chance to prepare for the first Grand Slam of the year.

The Hobart International has been part of the tennis calendar for a while, as it was first held in 1994. It belongs to the 250-tier of events and generally features rather solid entry lists, as the list of former champions can attest.

The event is generally held in the week leading up to the Australian Open, serving as an excellent preparation for players who may not have gotten much playing time in the first tournaments of the season or simply wanted to postpone their preparations.

It's played at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, which was opened in 1964 and renovated in 2011. The main court has a capacity of 2,800 seats and has seen some great players lift the trophy.

The likes of Kim Clijsters, Petra Kvitova, Garbine Muguruza, Sofia Kenin, and Elena Rybakina have all won the event, and all are Grand Slam champions.

Japanese player Mana Endo won the first-ever tournament, while Elise Mertens is the most successful player in its history. She has won the event twice so far, and, believe it or not, she's the only player to have ever won it twice in its almost 30-year history.

The tournament was briefly absent from the WTA calendar, as it wasn't held in 2021 and 2022. Still, in 2023, it returned to the calendar, and the 2024 season was no exception, once again providing players with excellent preparation for the first Grand Slam tournament of the season.

The Hobart International appeared on the WTA calendar again in 2025 and 2026. It has continued its tradition of attracting former Grand Slam winners, as Sofia Kenin played in 2025, but she only reached the quarterfinals, as McCartney Kessler won the trophy. In 2026, Emma Raducanu signed up to play in Hobart.