WTA Hobart Tournament: Wang Xinyu Easily Defeats Gibson to Secure Spot in Last 16

On January 13, 2026, the WTA250 Hobart tournament began the women's singles opening round. After finishing as runner-up at last week’s WTA Auckland event, Chinese player Wang Xinyu maintained her momentum by overcoming local wildcard Gibson in a quick 73-minute match, winning 6-2, 6-3 to reach the last 16 first.

Wang Xinyu

In their two encounters last year, Wang Xinyu came back from behind to defeat Gibson both times, including a first-round qualifying win in Berlin that eventually led Wang to the final. In this match, Wang took control with a powerful first serve, achieving a 63% first-serve rate and winning 66% of points overall. Despite Gibson’s stubborn fightback near the end, Wang seized her second match point on serve to secure the victory.

After the match, Wang Xinyu said: “We only arrived from Auckland yesterday and missed our connecting flight, so we didn’t get here until about 9 PM. I warmed up just two hours before the match and then went straight into it. I’m feeling a bit tired today.”

Wang’s opponent in the second round will be decided between qualifier Shcheremetyeva and the 8th seed Linette. Later, Wang will team up with Zheng Saisai in the women’s doubles first round, where they will face Xu Yifan and Yang Zhaoxuan in a “Chinese derby.” “I played some tough matches in Auckland, and today’s opponent has also been challenging in our past meetings. Although today’s scoreline looks easier than before, it was still a tough battle. I’m glad to have won. I really want to rest soon, but we still have doubles to play today.”

In other matches, wildcard Venus Williams fell 4-6, 3-6 to German veteran Tatjana Maria in a match where the combined ages of the players reached 83 years. Third seed Jovic cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Zhen Limi, while Bondar also won 6-0, 6-1 against lucky loser Seidel. Frech defeated Jakmou 6-4, 6-0; Ramkova overcame Gracheva 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; and Stearns edged past Krejcikova 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(4). The top seed Raducanu is set to face Osorio in a highlight match on the center court.

(Text and editing by Dato; photos courtesy of Visual China)