Taylah Preston vs Iva Jovic Prediction & Betting Tips - Hobart International

Prediction published on 15/01/2026, 12:45  by Geoffrey Ejiga | Modified on 15/01/2026 at 12:46 in Tennis Predictions

Taylah Preston and Iva Jovic, the two youngest players of the tournament, have made it to the Hobart International semifinal. This will be their first career meeting, and one of them might just go on to grab the title. See our best bet in this match prediction.

What a tournament this has been for Taylah Preston, who has now won all three games as the heavy underdog. She faced vets Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Rebecca Sramkova, and Emma Raducanu and took no prisoners with three straight-sets wins. That's the kind of form of an eventual champion.

Standing in her way now is the talented Iva Jovic, whose run has been equally brilliant. But in contrast to Preston, Jovic cruised through this tournament as the heavy favourite in all three games. The 18-year-old has climbed up the WTA Ranking ladder all the way to 30th, and she has her 2025 Guadalajara Open title win to thank.

The young American has now won nine of her last 11 singles. Interestingly, the only two defeats in that span were semifinal exits in the Auckland 250 and the Austin 125. She now has another semifinal hurdle to face, but this time, as the favourite. Will she win, or does Preston have another underdog win installed for us?