The main draw of the WTA 250 Hobart International has been revealed, a tournament that will take place from January 6 to January 11, 2025. This will be the 30th edition and will feature 9 players within the top-50, as well as a couple of former Grand Slam champions, marking the last tournament before the start of the Australian Open.
While several WTA stars opted to travel to Melbourne the week prior to the first Grand Slam of the year and focus on training outside of competition, Hobart will host a draw that will provide a great opportunity to earn points and build confidence for the start of the season.
Dayana Yastremska (No. 33) and Elise Mertens (No. 34) are the top two seeds leading each half of the draw. The Ukrainian will face Katie Volynets (No. 58) in the first round, and in the second round, she could potentially meet former US Open champion Sloane Stephens (No. 74) – who received a wild card and is waiting for a qualifier.
On the bottom half of the draw, Elise Mertens awaits a qualifier, and in a potential second round, she could face Clara Tauson (No. 50) – finalist this week at the ASB Classic – or Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina (No. 55), who reached the semifinals at the WTA 500 Brisbane International this week.
One of the most interesting first-round matchups will be the 5th seed Lulu Sun (No. 40), one of the big breakout stars of the WTA Tour in 2024, who will face former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin (No. 81), also a wild card recipient. The winner will face either Anna Blinkova (No. 77) or Bernarda Pera (No. 71) in the second round.
Additionally, the third seed Amanda Anisimova (No. 36) will meet local former top-20 player Daria Saville (No. 108), while rising Slovak No. 46 Rebecca Sramkova (leading her country to the final of the Billie Jean King Cup) will play McCartney Kessler (No. 67).
Other notable players in the draw include Elina Avansyan (No. 43), Magda Linette (No. 38), former World No. 9 Veronika Kudermetova (No. 72), and Yue Yuan (No. 49).