WTA Hobart Tournament: Jovic Advances to Final Again, Cocciaretto Emerges as a Dark Horse

On January 16th, 2026, the WTA250 Hobart event concluded its semifinal matches. The last remaining seeded player in the draw, Jovic, faced some challenges but came back from behind to defeat local wildcard Preston 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, securing her spot in the second career tour-level singles final.

Jovic Claimed Her First Title Last Year at the WTA500 Guadalajara Tournament

Last year marked a significant breakthrough in Jovic’s career, as she captured her first professional title at the WTA500 Guadalajara event, which helped her rise steadily into the Grand Slam seeding range. Starting this season strong, she reached the semifinals at the WTA Auckland tournament and now has advanced to the final in Hobart. In the semifinals, Jovic faced Preston, who had previously upset the top seed Raducanu. Despite losing the first set, Jovic quickly adapted and won the next two sets to complete the comeback victory.

In the final, Jovic will compete against Italian qualifier and dark horse Cocciaretto for the championship. Cocciaretto began the week in the qualifying rounds and won six consecutive matches to reach the final. Notably, in the second round against Lee Ji-hee, she came back from multiple deficits in a tough three-set battle. In the semifinals, she defeated Croatian player Rudic convincingly 6-3, 6-2, marking the third time in her career she has reached a tour-level singles final. In the doubles event, Kempen/Shishkova will face Pieter/Zeng Limi in the final.

(Text and editing by Dato, images courtesy of Visual China)