Hopman Cup: Serena Williams wins but the USA falls to Great Britain
The clash between the USA and Great Britain has delivered a very interesting fight and the Britons saved a match point in the mixed doubles match to score a 2-1 win and finish the tournament with two wins. In the first singles match, Cameron Norrie toppled Frances Tiafoe 7-6, 6-0 in an hour and nine minutes, serving at 78% and suffering just one break from two chances he offered to the American. Tiafoe lost almost half of the points in his games and he faded from the court after a solid opening set where he led 5-3. Norrie got broken in the third game after a forced error and both players served well in the following six games, leaving Tiafoe to serve for the set at 5-4.
He sprayed a terrible forehand error to lose both the serve and momentum, with Norrie taking the tie break 7-4 after a stunning point that he ended with a forehand cross court winner. There was only one player on the court in set number two and it started with a break from Cameron who never looked back, sealing the deal with a forced error from Tiafoe in the sixth game to move Great Britain in front. In the women's singles match, the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams scored her third win at this year's Hopman Cup following a 6-1, 7-6 triumph over the rising Katie Boulter in an hour and 18 minutes that leveled the overall score at 1-1.
Serena played better on the second serve and she faced just two break points, losing serve once and keeping the pressure on Boulter all the time. The young Briton struggled to make an impression after missing the first serve and she had to give her serve away three times from seven opportunities she offered to Serena, playing well in set number two where she had a short lead before losing it in the tie break. Serena broke at love in the second game when Katie sent a backhand long and she sailed through her service games before breaking again at 4-1 when her rival netted a forehand, sealing the opener with a service winner in game seven after just 24 minutes.
Boulter bounced back in set number two, earning a break in game two before Serena pulled it back in the very next game with a forehand return winner. The American saved a break point in the following game, bringing the game home with a forehand winner and both players dominated in their service games to set up a tie break that Serena won 7-2 after a forehand error from Boulter to secure the win in straight sets and set all eyes on the mixed doubles clash. It was a great encounter and the British pair won it 3-4, 4-3, 4-1 in 64 minutes, saving a match point at 4-4 in the second set tie break to prevail and secure the overall triumph.
Serena lost her serve in the third game after a volley winner from Norrie at the net but the Americans broke back straight away thanks to a return winner from Williams on Boulter's serve. The Americans won the tie break 5-2 after a forehand winner from Tiafoe and they wasted two break points at the start of the second set that could have pushed them over the top. Boulter was broken in the third game but Serena suffered a break as well in the following game when she hit a costly double fault. Norrie saved three break points in the fifth game and he hit a good forehand at 4-4 in the tie break to save the match point and claim the set for his country.
The deciding set started in the worst possible way for the Americans, with Frances missing an easy smash to lose serve in the first game and got broken again in game five following a double fault to hand the win to the Britons.
Great Britain vs USA 2-1
Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Frances Tiafoe (USA) 7-6(4) 6-0 Serena Williams (USA) vs Katie Boulter (GBR) 6-1 7-6(2) Katie Boulter / Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Serena Williams / Frances Tiafoe (USA) 3-4(2-5) 4-3(5-4) 4-1
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2F4Uzfk
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