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The 2019 season began today, with the Hopman Cup taking place at the RAC Arena Arena in Perth, Western Australia.
The first round of matches saw Great Britain take on Greece, and Australia take on France.
Great Britain came out victorious against Greece, defeating them 2-1. After Maria Sakkari defeated Katie Boulter 6-0 4-6 6-2 in the women's singles, Cameron Norrie got Great Britain back into the game with an upset win over World no. 15 and rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas. Norrie defeated the youngster in 2 tight sets 7-6(8), 6-4.
The tie then moved to the mixed doubles where Great Britain came out victorious 4-3 3-4 (2-5) 4-3 (5-4).
The second match of the day saw home side Australia take on France. Much to the delight of the crowd, Australia won the tie 2-1. With a 2-0 lead, they had already sealed the tie. However, France came back to win the mixed doubles in the end.
While Ashleigh Barty defeated Alize Cornet 7-5 6-3, Matthew Ebden came back from a set down to defeat Lucas Pouille 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. The French pair then won the mixed doubles tie in straight sets 4-3(4), 4-2.
The second round of matches will take place tomorrow with Germany taking on Spain in the first match of the day and Switzerland taking on Great Britain in the second match of the day.
Here is all you need to know about the two matches:
Match 1: Germany vs Spain (Group A)
Time: 10:00 AWST (07:30 IST)
World no. 4 in the men's circuit, Alexander Zverev, and world no. 2 in the women's circuit, Angelique Kerber will team up for Germany. They will take on veteran David Ferrer and Garbine Muguruza of Spain.
Zverev had a great year in 2018, winning the World Tour Finals in November. Meanwhile, Kerber had a great year as well, winning the Wimbledon Championships.
David Ferrer, on the other hand, just has a handful of tournaments left before he retires from the sport after the Madrid Masters later this year.
First match: Angelique Kerber vs Garbine Muguruza
Second match: Alexander Zverev vs David Ferrer
Third match: Zverev/Kerber vs Ferrer/Muguruza
Match 2: Switzerland vs Great Britain (Group A)
Time: 17:30 AWST (15:00 IST)
All eyes will be on Roger Federer when he steps out on court tomorrow to face Great Britain's Cameron Norrie. Federer ended 2018 as the world no. 3 and won four titles over the course of the year. He will partner Belinda Bencic for the doubles. The Federer-Bencic duo were successful in leading Switzerland to victory in the 2018 edition of the tournament.
Bencic suffered from injuries last year, which kept her out of action for a long time. However, she is completely fit now and raring to go.
Great Britain already have a win on the board and hence, Switzerland will be hoping to topple them tomorrow.
First match: Belinda Bencic vs Katie Boulter
Second match: Roger Federer vs Cameron Norrie
Third match: Federer/Bencic vs Norrie/Boulter
Where To Watch:
All the matches will be streamed live on SonyLiv.
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