ADELAIDE, Australia — Elisabetta Cocciaretto won her second WTA title at Hobart, upsetting Iva Jovic, while Mirra Andreeva claimed her fourth Tour crown with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Victoria Mboko in Adelaide.
Italian Cocciaretto, world number 80, was runner-up in 2023 and went one better this time with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Jovic, who claimed her maiden title last year at Guadalajara aged just 17.
Cocciaretto, a former world number 29, scored two wins just to make the main draw and picked up steam after escaping fourth seed Ann Li from 6-1, 5-3 down in the second round.
The 24-year-old, whose only previous title was on clay at Lausanne in 2023, did not lose more than four games in a set for the rest of the tournament.
She was the fourth qualifier to win the Hobart crown after Mona Barthel (2012), Garbine Muguruza (2014) and Lauren Davis (2023).
Cocciaretto will meet Austria’s Julia Grabher to get her Australian Open campaign underway, while Jovic faces fellow American Katie Volynets, AFP reported.
Andreeva, world No 8 from Russia, suffered an early break against the Canadian but then took the final by the throat.
Andreeva rallied from 3-0 down, winning nine consecutive games before Mboko called for the doctor when trailing a set and 3-0.
The number 17 came back after a seven-minute medical timeout and blood pressure check and won her first game to end the Andreeva hot streak.
But it was only a temporary reprieve as the 18-year-old Andreeva won a fourth title in her young career.
“Unfortunately, I could not be 100 per cent,” said 19-year-old Mboko, who struck 29 unforced errors and lost serve five times. “But Mirra played incredible.”
Andreeva, who reached the Melbourne fourth round last year, thanked her physios, who she said “taped my toes” every day.
“The physios really helped me, I also feel I’ve been practicing, working and sweating. I’ve been brave in all of my matches.
“Thanks to myself for pushing in practice and changing my mentality to fight to the very last point.”
Eighth seed Andreeva begins against Croatia’s Donna Vekic while Mboko faces local wildcard Emerson Jones.
In the men’s final, Tomas Machac claimed the second title of his career as he outlasted France’s Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-2.
Elsewhere, rising Czech star Jakub Mensik used his booming serve to overwhelm Sebastian Baez in the Auckland Classic final and complete a compelling build-up for the Australian Open.
Big-hitting Mensik sent down 18 aces to win 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) and secure a second career title following victory at last year’s Miami Open.
The 20-year-old, the youngest player with a ranking in the world’s top 25, showed he could be a threat at the year’s first major at Melbourne Park, where he is seeded 16.
The tall European had too many weapons for his 39th-ranked Argentine opponent, mixing an aggressive serve with deft touches at the net.
Mensik broke once in each set and needed a fightback to win the tiebreak, saving three set points on the way.
He said he was thrilled with his serving game. “After pre-season, obviously you’re not in rhythm and you’re coming for a season with a lot of energy,” Mensik said in a court-side interview.
“So I’m super happy that I showed a performance that I wanted. Seb is a great fighter and it’s super-difficult to hit a winner against him. I was able to stay focused and keep the spirit to the end.”
The tournament proved demanding for both players, who had to play their quarter-finals and semi-finals because of rain delays.
Baez, who has won six of his seven titles on clay, knocked out top-seeded American Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.
It was a first loss this year for the 25-year-old Baez, who won all three matches at last week’s United Cup, including an upset of American world No 9 Taylor Fritz.
