McCartney Kessler vs Elina Avanesyan Prediction & Picks - Hobart International

Prediction published on 1/9/25, 7:14 PM  by Tyler Doty | Modified on 1/13/26 at 8:59 AM in Tennis Picks

In this semi-final of the WTA tournament in Hobart, Australia, American McCartney Kessler faces Armenia's Elina Avanesyan for a place in the final. McCartney Kessler kicked off her season at the Brisbane tournament last week, winning her first match against Magda Linette, ranked 38th in the world, before falling to top 15 Yulia Putintseva in the second round. In Hobart, the American strung together 3 consecutive wins in just 2 sets and stopped the number 7 seed, Rebecca Sramkova, in the first round. She then won her other 2 rounds against Maria Lourdes Carle (96th in the world) and then against the number 1 seed, Dayana Yastremska. A surprise victory that should enable her to arrive confidently at this match.

Elina Avanesyan, for her part, benefited from Amanda Anisimova's withdrawal to reach the semi-finals. Prior to that, she had beaten China's Xiyu Wang in 2 sets, then Belgium's Greet Minnen in just 64 minutes. The tournament's number 6 seed should therefore arrive fresher than her opponent in this match. Additionally, she performed well at the Brisbane tournament last week, beating top 15 Paula Badosa in the Round of 16 and winning a set against Ons Jabeur in the Round of 8. She should be slightly superior to her opponent in this match.