France topples Spain to reach Hopman final

Updated January 06, 2012 17:10:35

France kept alive its hopes of a first victory at the Hopman Cup, advancing to the final after beating Spain 2-0 at the mixed teams tournament in Western Australia on Thursday.

The French pairing of Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet, seeded second in the event, were too good for the other unbeaten team in Group B, Spanish duo Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco.

The ninth-ranked Bartoli continued her impressive early season form ahead of the Australian Open to put the French on track for Saturday's final when she beat Medina Garrigues in the women's singles in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Richard Gasquet, 19th in the world, then cruised past former world number seven Fernando Verdasco, now ranked 24th, by the same scoreline in the men's singles to put the French into the final.

The dead mixed doubles rubber was not played.

France's only previous appearance in the Hopman Cup final was in 1998, when Mary Pierce and Cedric Pioline were beaten 2-1 by the Slovak Republic's Karina Habsudova and Karol Kucera.

Bartoli was excited to have the chance to be the first French team to win the Hopman Cup.

"It is the first time we have played together so we couldn't have asked for more," she said.

"We want the diamond balls that's for sure", she added, referring to the unique diamond-encrusted tennis balls the winners receive.

"I am sure we have a shot no matter who we play against."

France's opponent will be decided by Friday's Group A ties, with the top-seeded Czech Republic pairing of Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berydch looking the most likely to go through.

"We won't be favourites, but we are confident and we are enjoying playing together," Richard Gasquet said, who had put in a solid performance to defeat Verdasco in 78 minutes.

Gasquet broke Verdasco in the third and seventh games on his way to the first set, and with Verdasco's trademark forehand missing its mark, Gasquet broke again for a 2-1 lead in the second set.

The Spaniard was able to stave off four match points, but yet another forehand error, this time dumping the ball into the net, finished the match.

AFP

Tags: tennis, spain, france, perth-6000

First posted January 05, 2012 23:08:36

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France beats China at Hopman Cup

Updated December 31, 2011 18:51:10

World number five Li Na did her bit but it was not enough to lift China to victory in its Hopman Cup clash with France in Perth.

Li came from a set down to defeat Marion Bartoli 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in the women's singles but was forced to watch on helplessly as compatriot Wu Di was crushed 6-1, 6-3 by Richard Gasquet in the men's singles.

France then romped to victory in the deciding mixed doubles, with Bartoli and Gasquet needing just 42 minutes to sweep to the 6-1, 6-1 triumph.

Earlier, Bartoli appeared on track for a straight sets win in the women's singles after taking the first set in 44 minutes before setting up two break points early in the second set.

But Li, who has struggled to recapture top form since winning the French Open earlier this year, showed far more urgency from that point on, winning the last four games of the second set before grinding down Bartoli in the decider.

"At the beginning of the match she was playing so fast. I was like 'what's going on'," Li said.

"But after three or four games I got used to it."

Li says her French Open success in May had changed her life in so many ways, but may have also adversely affected her performances.

"If I go somewhere to play a tournament, more people know who I am," she said.

"I lose concentration on the court. I'm only focusing on the photo shooting.

"It's tough after winning a big title, [maintaining] the concentration."

Australia's unseeded pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Jarmila Gajdosova kick off their campaign on Sunday against third-seeded Spaniards Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues.

AAP

Tags: tennis, sport, perth-6000

First posted December 31, 2011 18:18:14

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Serbia, France stay alive in Davis Cup

Updated September 18, 2011 12:22:43

Defending champion Serbia and France stayed alive in their Davis Cup semi-finals when they both won their decisive doubles rubbers on Saturday.

In Belgrade, Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic defeated Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Monaco 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-2 to trail 2-1 overall while in Cordoba Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Michael Llodra earned France its first point by beating Spanish duo Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-2, 6-0.

After world number one Novak Djokovic pulled out of the opening singles rubber on Friday, Serbia slumped 2-0 down overnight.

Djokovic was suffering from fatigue as well as a back injury picked up in his US Open final win over Rafael Nadal on Monday.

World number 74 David Nalbandian took full advantage of Djokovic's absence on Friday to see off Troicki, who won the decisive leg of last year's final against France, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Juan Martin Del Potro then eased past Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to give Argentina, which has never won the Davis Cup, a 2-0 lead.

But on Saturday Troicki and Zimonjic took a tense tiebreak and then battled back from 4-1 down in the second set, winning five games in succession, roared on by a 15,000-strong crowd.

"There was so much energy out there," Serbia captain Bogdan Obradovic said, adding that Djokovic was fit to compete on Sunday.

In the Cordoba bullring, nine-time champions France needed to win after Nadal cast off fatigue to thrash Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-1 in Friday's opening rubber and David Ferrer then defeated Gilles Simon 6-1, 6-4, 6-1.

And Tsonga and Llodra duly obliged giving their experienced Spanish rivals no chance.

Meanwhile, International Tennis Federation chief Francesco Ricci hit back at Nadal, insisting the Spanish superstar was wrong to claim the gruelling tennis schedule was damaging players' welfare.

Nadal had even hinted at a players strike in protest at a calendar which required him to play Davis Cup just four days after losing in the US Open final in New York.

"I have the deepest respect for Nadal. He is a great champion and a sporting role model, but to accuse the Davis Cup of putting players' physical well-being at stake is incomprehensible," said Ricci.

"Why doesn't Nadal address his complaints to the ATP which controls 90 per cent of the calendar when we control just a few weeks?

"It is not acceptable to us to relax the Davis Cup calendar. The players already play less than two weeks of Davis Cup each year. We want to find more favourable dates, we are already putting all this on the table.

"We will see what solutions we can find."

Nadal takes on Simon in Sunday's reverse singles with Ferrer drawn against Gasquet.

AFP

Tags: tennis, sport, serbia, yugoslavia, spain, argentina

First posted September 18, 2011 12:22:43

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Stosur holds Australian interests in France

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 22/05/2011

Reporter: Barrie Cassidy

Samantha Stosur has drawn a good opening round in the French Open draw.

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Dokic off to winning start in France

Posted May 17, 2011 07:50:00

Australia's Jelena Dokic has got off to a winning start at the Strasbourg International tennis event, easily accounting for Romania's Simona Halep 6-2, 6-1 to move into the second round.

She will next face the winner of a match between third seed Ana Ivanovic and Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic.

Dokic's win capped a good day for Australian women, with Casey Dellacqua beating Shahar Peer 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 in the first round of the Brussels Open.

- AAP

Tags: sport, tennis, australia, france

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