Australian tennis player Taylah Preston, participating as a wildcard, has reached her first top-level quarterfinal at the Hobart International. Preston, ranked approximately 204th or 205th in the world, secured victories against higher-ranked opponents in the first two rounds of the tournament.
Tournament Progression
Preston's journey to the quarterfinals began with a first-round match against Spanish fifth seed Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro, who was ranked 40th globally. Preston won this match in 88 minutes with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). This victory marked her highest-ranked career win to date, surpassing a previous win against Magdalena Fręch, then world number 42, at the 2024 San Diego Open. During the match against Bouzas Maneiro, Preston established a 4-1 lead in the first set and led 5-2 in the second set before losing four consecutive games. She subsequently broke Bouzas Maneiro's serve to force and win a tiebreak. Preston stated her strategy during challenging moments was to focus on each point independently.
In the second round, Preston faced Slovakia's Rebecca Šramková, ranked 71st or 72nd in the world, and secured a straight-sets victory with scores of 6-4, 6-1. In the second set of this match, Preston lost the opening game before winning six consecutive games to close out the match.
Player Background and Context
Preston, who hails from Western Australia, has seen fluctuations in her ranking. Her ranking reached a high of 134 in 2024 but dropped below the top 200 at the start of the current season. She has been granted a wildcard entry into her second Australian Open. Prior to the Hobart International, Preston competed in the Brisbane International, where she did not pass the qualification stage but recorded a win against a top 100 player and pushed world number 79 Zhang Shuai to three sets. Preston noted that her recent performances provided a confidence boost after what she described as a challenging previous 12 months.
Another Australian wildcard in the tournament is Tahlia Gibson, who is scheduled to play China's Wang Xinyu. Maya Joint, another Australian, reached the semifinals in a prior edition of the Hobart International, and Preston aims to achieve similar success.
Upcoming Matches
Preston is scheduled to play her quarterfinal match against the winner of the second-round encounter between top seed Emma Raducanu and Magdalena Frech. Raducanu, a former US Open winner, advanced to the second round on Wednesday after a 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) victory over Maria Camila Osorio Serrano in a rain-delayed match. Raducanu and Frech are slated to play their second-round match on Thursday, with the winner proceeding to face Preston in the quarterfinal later the same day. The tournament also features veteran player Venus Williams. Preston commented on a potential match against Raducanu, describing it as an opportunity to assess her skills.