The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Serena Williams helps USA win

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Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
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Serena Williams helps USA win

PERTH: Serena Williams began preparations for her Australian Open title defence with a 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 win over Lucie Safarova at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament on Monday.

Williams’s win was all the United States needed to beat the Czech Republic. Tomas Berdych, suffering from a stomach virus, had to retire from the mixed doubles match with Williams and Mardy Fish leading 6-0.

Stomach trouble

Fish then won the men’s singles match by walkover when Berdych was too ill to play. The mixed doubles match, usually played last, was played after the women’s singles in a failed attempt to give Berdych extra time to recover.

Williams arrived in Perth late — also due to a stomach ailment — and was replaced by Meghann Shaughnessy in the United States’ first match, a 2-1 win over India on Saturday.

Williams started off strongly Monday but Safarova staged a second-set comeback.

“I thought I was on my way to victory, then the next thing you know, I’m almost down 5-2 in the third,” said Williams. “I was a little off, but she was just hitting a lot of winners on her forehand and her backhand ... going for broke.”

Safarova had seven double-faults, including one that set up break point in the 11th game to eventually give Williams a 6-5 lead in the deciding set.

Serving for the match, Williams had two aces in the final game — her 10th and 11th of the match — then won it when a Safarova backhand went wide.

The United States, 2-0 in Group B, takes on Australia in its next match Thursday. The top team in each group qualifies for the final on Friday.

Australia plays India in the only match on Tuesday.

The results: Group B: USA bt Czech Republic 3-0 (Serena Williams bt Lucie Safarova 6-0, 2-6, 7-5; Williams & Mardy Fish bt Safarova & Tomas Berdych 6-0, retd.; Fish bt Berdych, walkover). — Agencies

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