Vinci began the season at the Brisbane International. Seeded eighth, she started the tournament off by beating lucky loser Kateryna Bondarenko in the first round, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6. She then defeated Misaki Doi in the second round 6–4, 6–2. In the quarterfinals, Vinci lost to third seed and eventual champion Karolína Plíšková, 6–3, 2–6, 2–6. Next, Vinci played at the Apia International Sydney. Seeded ninth, she was defeated in the second round by Barbora Strýcová, 6–2, 6–3. As the 15th seed at the Australian Open, Vinci lost in the first round to world No. 35 and eventual semifinalist, CoCo Vandeweghe, 1–6, 6–7.