The first round action at the WTA Hobart International begins on Monday, January 13 and Veronika Kudermetova will be the highest seed to take to court on the day. Get the latest Veronika Kudermetova v Samantha Stosur & Magda Linette v Svetlana Kuznetsova tips, previews and live streams below among other matches.
- Get the best odds for the Hobart International 2020 with bet365 here.
- Also watch the WTA Hobart 2020 live streaming here
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Veronika Kudermetova v Samantha Stosur Predictions & Preview
42nd-ranked Veronika Kudermetova of Russia will be up against local and 98th-ranked Samantha Stosur for a place in the second round on Monday. And this will be the second time they will be facing off, having last played all the way back in 2014. That was in a Fed Cup encounter and the experienced Stosur had crushed the 16-year-old Kudermetova in straight sets. Things might not be the same this time.
Stosur was a shock winner over Angelique Kerber in her first round match at Brisbane last week and did show some signs of a fight against Madison Keys as well. However, the American got the better of her in straight sets in the second round. Stosur obviously had the advantage of a wildcard which Kudermetova did not have and she needed to come through the qualifiers in that same tournament.
Unfortunately for Kudermetova, she won the first two matches of the qualifying stage before going down to Marie Bouzkova in the third.
Kudermetova, however, is coming off a strong 2019 season, with a 26-12 win-loss record on hard court surfaces and her maiden title to boot. That win in Guadalajara also came on hard court, to go with three other semifinals appearances on the WTA circuit. Can Stosur show any spark to stop her Russian opponent? Looks doubtful.
Tip: Kudermetova to win in three sets: 5/2 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
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Magda Linette v Svetlana Kuznetsova Predictions & Preview
In a battle of near-equals, at least as far as the WTA rankings are concerned, 43rd-ranked Magda Linette will take on 51st-ranked veteran Svetlana Kuznetsova for a place in the second round at Hobart. They haven’t played each other before this.
Linette kick-started her season with a first round loss at the hands of Shuai Zhang at the Shenzhen Open, going down 6-4, 6-2 there. On the other hand, Kuznetsova is yet to play a match this year, and will begin her campaign here and hope to show better form than she did last season.
Although Kuznetsova did make it to the final of the 2019 Cincinnati Open, it turned out to be the lone shining light of her season last year as she tumbled to 11-12 win-loss record other than that. That had followed a 11-13 stat in 2018, making them two of her worst years in recent times.
Linette, on the other hand, grabbed her second WTA title last season and climbed to her career-best ranking of 41st, showing remarkable form. She won 42 of her 69 matches, making it to the final at Seoul and semifinal at Hua Hin to go with that title. She could edge out Kuznetsova here.
Tip: Linette to win: 10/11 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
Rebecca Peterson v Fiona Ferro Predictions & Preview
Another seeded player in action will be Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson who will take on Fiona Ferro in her opening round match in Hobart. This will be the first time they will be up against each other.
Peterson was stunned in the first round at the Auckland Open last week while Ferro failed in her attempt to make it to the main draw at Brisbane International, losing in her first round. The Swede, however, has a ton of form under her belt, including her maiden – and then a second – WTA title last year.
Both those came on hard court surfaces which should give her enough confidence to get past the Frenchwoman Ferro, who is a clay court specialist. Straight-set win for Peterson in this one.
Tip: Peterson to win in straight sets: 1/1 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)
Heather Watson v Jil Tiechmann Predictions & Preview
In another first-time clash, Heather Watson will be up against Jil Tiechmann in their opening round match. A semifinalist in 2018 here in Hobart, Watson has fallen a tad off the radar with the one-time 38th-ranked Brit having now slumped to outside the top 100. However, while Teichmann is coming off two titles last season, both were on clay and her troubles on hard court surfaces have been well-chronicled.
As a result, Watson, who won back to back matches to qualify for the main draw here, starts off a favourite with 4/7 for her win.
Tip: Watson to win: 4/7 (Click here to get these odds with Unibet)