Kessler beats Mertens to win Hobart WTA title
Kessler beats Mertens to win Hobart WTA title
Rising American McCartney Kessler upset two-time champion Elise Mertens to win the Hobart International and secure her second WTA title on Saturday with a battling 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 win.
The world number 67 needed just over two hours to topple the 34th-ranked Belgian, who won her first two crowns in Hobart in 2017 and 2018.
It was a perfect lead-up to the Australian Open for the 25-year-old, who will make her Grand Slam main draw debut in Melbourne against China’s Zhang Shuai.
After winning her first title in Cleveland last year, the Hobart victory will move Kessler into the world’s top 50 for first time.
