Tennis News: Top seeds Russia and Argentina remain in contention for a place in the Hopman Cup final after they secured 2-1 victories over their respective opponents in Perth yesterday.
Both nations had lost their opening round-robin ties before making amends yesterday, Russia ending Sweden's hopes of advancing any further in the team competition after edging past their Group A rivals in the mixed doubles. Argentina also won the decisive mixed doubles encounter to beat Germany in Group B.
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Yuri Schukin beat Swedish pair Sofia Arvidsson and Thomas Johansson 6-3, 7-5, while Argentine duo Gisela Dulko and Gaston Gaudio romped to a 7-5, 6-0 win over Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Nicolas Kiefer.
After two series of round-robin play, a second-string United States team and the unheralded Netherlands head their respective groups having won both of their two ties to date.
Kuznetsova fought back from a break down three times in the opening set to overcome Arvidsson 7-6, 6-4, giving top seeds Russia an early advantage, but Johansson levelled for Sweden after struggling to a 7-6, 7-6 victory over the 299th-ranked Schukin.
"I wasn't at my best today," said Kuznetsova. "I made so many unforced errors and lost my concentration so many times but hopefully that will get better."
Russia face Serbia & Montenegro in Group A today while the USA take on Sweden.
In Group B, Argentina will play an eliminated Australian team and Germany face the Netherlands, with any one of three teams still able to qualify.
Under pressure for the Argentinians, Dulko took 57 minutes to sweep aside an injury-hampered Groenefeld 6-1, 6-0 for her first Hopman Cup singles win in six attempts. Groenefeld, who made 34 unforced errors, had her left ankle and right thigh strapped, and she became increasingly frustrated as Dulko kept her under pressure with a powerful forehand and exploited her lack of mobility with several drop-shots.
"She definitely didn't play at her level," Dulko conceded. "She didn't have a good day. But I'm happy because I played a good match and did what I had to do."
Gaudio's hangover from his 6-0, 6-0 defeat by Roger Federer during the Masters Cup at the end of last season continued as he lost his second match of the week.
The highest-ranked player to compete at the event, 10th-placed Gaudio slumped 6-3, 6-3 against Kiefer, who dominated with an athletic performance and a blistering serve that produced 13 aces.
In contrast, Gaudio hit three double-faults in his opening service game and was broken at 1-0, and he foot-faulted at 2-2 to go down a break in the second set. A third break in the last game earned Kiefer a comfortable victory.
Meanwhile, former world number one Martina Hingis claimed her first seeded victim on her comeback trail when she reached the quarter-finals of the Australian hardcourt championships in Melbourne yesterday.
Hingis defeated seventh seed Klara Koukalova 6-3, 6-2 and set up a quarter-final with Nuria Llagostera Vives of Spain who upset second seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy 6-3, 6-1. Hingis was too clinical for the world number 35. She placed her Czech opponent under intense pressure throughout the match and required three match points before Koukalova netted a forehand after 70 minutes. "We were both pretty flat towards the end. I just had more to give," said Hingis. "The anticipation is coming back and every set I'm shaking off the rustiness of the last few years."
Hingis is using the Gold Coast tournament and next week's Sydney International as a warm-up for the Australian Open, which begins on January 16th.
Top seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland also advanced to the quarter-finals after she defeated the USA's Angela Haynes 6-3, 6-0.
Fifth-seeded American James Blake followed Tommy Robredo and Mario Ancic out of the men's championships in Adelaide yesterday when he lost 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to Italian Andreas Seppi.
Third seed Robredo of Spain was beaten 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 by Frenchman Florent Serra and fourth-seeded Croat Ancic lost 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 to Belgium's Xavier Malisse in earlier second-round matches. Seventh seed Jarkko Nieminen of Finland was the only seed to survive a dismal day for the ranked players when he beat Florian Mayer 7-6, 7-5.
Meanwhile, Tim Henman bowed out of the Qatar Open in the second round in Doha yesterday when he lost 6-2, 7-6 to Tommy Haas.
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