ORDER OF PLAY
Play starts at 1:00 p.m.

Singles final: [3] Elena RYBAKINA (KAZ) vs. [4] ZHANG Shuai (CHN)

After rest

Doubles final: Nadiia KICHENOK (UKR) / Sania MIRZA (IND) vs. [2] PENG Shuai (CHN) / ZHANG Shuai (CHN)

2020 Hobart Highlights: Zhang Shuai zips past Kudermetova into final


MATCH POINTS

Elena Rybakina and Zhang Shuai will meet for the first time in the 2020 Hobart International final.

No.3 seed Rybakina, making her Hobart debut, is into her second WTA final in two weeks. The Kazakh No.1 also reached the final in Shenzhen last week, but fell at the last hurdle to Ekaterina Alexandrova.

20-year-old Rybakina won her first WTA singles title at Bucharest last year.

Rybakina is currently at her career-high ranking of World No.30. She will be seeded at a Grand Slam event for the very first time at the Australian Open next week, where she will face American Bernarda Pera in the first round.

Zhang was just 2-9 in WTA semifinals prior to her win over Veronika Kudermetova on Friday. However, Zhang is currently undefeated once she gets past the semifinals, going 2-0 in her two prior finals. Both of those instances came at Guangzhou, where she won her two career singles titles, in 2013 and 2017.

Read more: Zhang Shuai zips past Kudermetova into Hobart final

No.4 seed Zhang fought back from a set down in her first two matches, but only dropped serve one time in her straight-set quarterfinal and semifinal matches combined.

Zhang will meet No.24 seed Sloane Stephens in the first round of the Australian Open on Margaret Court Arena on Monday night. Stephens leads Zhang in their head-to-head 3-2.

Zhang will also contest the doubles final alongside her compatriot Peng Shuai, a former doubles World No.1. The Chinese players advanced to the final via walkover, after Alison van Uytvanck withdrew from their scheduled semifinal due to respiratory illness.

Read more: 'I hope this inspires a few women out there': Mirza, Kichenok reach Hobart doubles final

Zhang and Peng will face Nadiia Kichenok of Ukraine and former doubles World No.1 Sania Mirza of India in the final. Mirza, who has won 41 WTA doubles titles during her storied career is playing her first tournament since 2017. Her two-year hiatus from the WTA included giving birth to her son, Izhaan.

WEATHER FORECAST: Mostly sunny with a high of 18C/64F.