Gibson aims for Pro Tour title hat-trick in Cairns | September 30, 2024 | All news | News and features | News and events

Rising West Australian star player Talia Gibson will be looking to win her third consecutive ITF title when the Australian Pro Tour returns to Cairns this week.

Cairns, QLD, Australia, September 30, 2024 | Jackson Mansell

Australian No.6 Talia Gibson will be looking to win her third consecutive ITF title when the Australian Pro Tour returns to Cairns this week.

Gibson has a career-best No. 129 in the world and will be the top seed for the first time in the tournament. But after reaching the final in her four previous appearances in Cairns, the 20-year-old is ready to finally make her breakthrough.

Last month in Perth, Gibson won the biggest title of her career, winning both ITF 75 tournaments. With her impressive two weeks, the West Australian has won multiple ITF titles in a calendar year for the third time in a row.

She also reached the final qualifying round at the US Open.

Should Gibson reach the Cairns final, she could play for the silver trophy against a familiar opponent, runner-up Maddison Inglis. This would be the third clash between the pair in the past month, with Gibson and Inglis facing off twice in Perth. Competing in the final and semi-finals, both matches went the distance as Gibson won both encounters.

Emerson Jones, the junior world number 1, will be at the tournament in Cairns for the first time. The 16-year-old rewrote history in 2024, becoming the first Australian to reach world No. 1 since Jelena Dokic in 1998. She is also the first Australian since Luke Saville in 2012 to reach two junior Grand Slam finals in the same year.

“It’s great to see the Australian Pro Tour returning to Cairns for another year and we’re excited to welcome a strong caliber of players,” said Francis Soyer, Head of Competitive Play & Professional Events at Tennis Australia. “This year’s tournament promises to be one of the strongest draws we have ever seen.”

For the first time, the women’s event will be classified as an ITF 35 event and will be upgraded from the ITF 25 level of previous years.

“The move to a W35 category is a milestone for the women’s event and offers players not only additional ranking points but also the experience of competing at a high international level,” said Soyer.

The singles competition begins on Tuesday October 1st at the Cairns International Tennis Center and ends on Sunday October 6th.

> VIEW: Australian Pro Tour calendar