Vinci started her season at the Brisbane International. Seeded eighth, she started the tournament by defeating Jelena Janković in the first round, 3–6, 6–2, 6–4. She then dominated Dominika Cibulková in their second round match 6–1, 6–1. In the quarterfinals, she lost to former world No. 1, two-time Australian Open champion, and eventual champion, Victoria Azarenka, 1–6, 2–6. After Brisbane, she competed at Sydney where she lost in the first round to Samantha Stosur. As the 13th seed at the Australian Open, Vinci reached the third round after beating qualifier Tamira Paszek and world No. 74, Irina Falconi. In the third round, she suffered a shock loss to world No. 82, Anna-Lena Friedsam, 6–0, 4–6, 4–6.