Hobart International | |
---|---|
WTA Tour | |
Founded | 1994 |
Location | Hobart Australia |
Venue | Domain Tennis Centre |
Category | WTA 250 |
Surface | Hard (Plexicushion) – outdoors |
Draw | 32S / 24Q / 16D |
Prize money | US$267,082 (2024) |
Website | HobartInternational.com.au |
Current champions (2024) | |
Singles | Emma Navarro |
Doubles | Chan Hao-ching Giuliana Olmos |
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.
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.
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.
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]
The Australian Open is a tennis tournament organized by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events every year, held before the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
A hardcourt is a surface or floor on which a sport is played, most usually in reference to tennis courts. It is typically made of rigid materials such as asphalt or concrete, and covered with acrylic resins to seal the surface and mark the playing lines, while providing some cushioning. Historically, hardwood surfaces were also in use in indoor settings, similar to an indoor basketball court, but these surfaces are rare now.
The Domain Tennis Centre is the premier tennis facility in the state of Tasmania, Australia. It is located on the Queens Domain less than 1 kilometre from the CBD of Hobart.
The 2008 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 15th edition of the Moorilla Hobart International, and was part of the Tier IV Series of the 2008 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia, from 6 through 11 January 2008.
The Brisbane International established in 2009 is a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hardcourts in Brisbane, Queensland in Australia. It is a WTA 500 tournament and ATP 250 tournament.
The 2009 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 16th edition of the event and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2009 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 12 through 18 January 2009. Unseeded Petra Kvitová won the singles title.
The 1996 Schweppes Tasmanian International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart in Australia that was part of Tier IV of the 1996 WTA Tour. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from 8 through 14 January 1996. Unseeded Julie Halard-Decugis won the singles title.
The 1994 Tasmanian International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the Domain Tennis Centre in Hobart in Australia that was part of Tier IV of the 1994 WTA Tour. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from 10 January through 15 January 1994. Sixth-seeded Mana Endo won the singles title and earned $18,000 first-prize money.
The 2010 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 17th edition of the event and is part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2010 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 10 through 16 January 2010.
The 2011 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 18th edition of the event and was part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2011 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 7 through 15 January 2011.
The 2012 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 19th edition of the event and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2012 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 6 January through 14 January 2012. Unseeded Mona Barthel won the singles title.
GreenSet is a supplier of acrylic hardcourt surfaces used in many professional tennis events run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tours. It is made of layers of acrylic resin and silica on top of an asphalt or concrete base, for permanent facilities, or on top of a wooden platform, for venues with occasional use. The company is based in Barcelona, Spain.
The Australian Open Series is a selection of tennis tournaments held annually prior to the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne. In 2023, there are five official Australian Open Series tournaments held across Australia in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year, as designated by Tennis Australia.
The 2003 Moorilla Hobart International was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the event and part of the WTA International tournaments of the 2003 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 6 through 12 January 2003. Unseeded Michaëlla Krajicek won the singles title and earned $22,900 first-prize money.
The 2003 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 10th edition of the event and part of the Tier V category of the 2003 WTA Tour. It took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 6 through 12 January 2003. Alicia Molik won the singles title.
The Australian Hard Court Championships was a former professional tennis tournament established in 1938 and held until 2008. The event was played on clay courts until 1977 when it switched to hard courts. The tournament was a combined event for men and women until the end of the 1980s. In 2009, Tennis Australia merged the separate men's and women's tournaments into a new combined tournament called the Brisbane International.
The 2004 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts and which was part of the Tier V category of the 2004 WTA Tour. It was the 11th edition of the tournament and took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 12 January until 16 January 2004. Unseeded Amy Frazier won the singles title and earned $16,000 first-prize money.
The 2005 Moorilla Hobart International was a women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts and which was part of the Tier V category of the 2005 WTA Tour. It was the 12th edition of the tournament and took place at the Hobart International Tennis Centre in Hobart, Australia from 10 January until 14 January 2005. Unseeded Zheng Jie won the singles title and earned $16,000 first-prize money.
The Tasmanian Open or Tasmanian Open Championships was a men's and women's international tennis tournament founded in 1893 as the Tasmanian Lawn Tennis Championships. or Tasmanian Championships It was first played Launceston Lawn Tennis Club, Launceston Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It remained part of the international tennis circuit until 1980.