Group A Wrap - Spain Makes Final
7/01/2010
By Chris Pike
GROUP A action has all wrapped up for Hyundai Hopman Cup XXII with Spain advancing to the Final ahead of Australia, the USA and Romania.
It all began on Saturday when Romania’s Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu beat Australia’s Samantha Stosur and Leyton Hewitt 2-1. On Sunday, Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Tommy Robredo beat the USA’s Melanie Oudin and John Isner.
Tuesday’s day Session saw Australia get the better of America in the two singles rubbers before dropping the mixed doubles. That night, Spain continued its cruise beating Romania 3-0 thanks to an adductor injury to Hanescu.
On Thursday it was all decided when Martinez Sanchez beat Stosur in straight sets. Robredo then beat Hewitt 6-2, 6-3 before the Spanish duo dropped their first set of the week in the mixed doubles, but still won 10 points to seven in the Match Tie-break.
The Romania-USA Tie didn’t eventuate due to Hanescu’s injury, handing the Americans a 3-0 whitewash after Oudin won her women’s singles clash with Cirstea 6-2, 6-3 on Court 1. That was enough to catapult the United States above Romania into third spot with No. 1 seeds Australia finishing second.
Martinez Sanchez and Robredo couldn’t have possibly had a better week in Perth as they’ve taken Spain to its fifth Hopman Cup Final and now hope to win for the third time – following in the footsteps of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario’s wins in 1990 and 2002 with brother Emilio Sanchez and Robredo.
World No. 26 Martinez Sanchez proved her quality in her three women’s singles matches. She beat Oudin 6-4, 6-4 despite feeling under the weather and then Cirstea 6-4, 6-3 and Stosur 6-4, 6-1. She is also ranked No. 6 in doubles and played tremendously as her and Robredo won all three mixed encounters.
Robredo is making his fourth appearance at the Cup after winning in 2002, finishing third in his Group in 2003 and making the Final in 2007. He loves starting the year in Perth and is always fit and raring to go. He has beaten Isner 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, Hanescu 6-3 (retried) and Hewitt 6-2, 6-4.
Australia’s Cup campaign fell short again and it wasn’t the ideal start to 2010 for Stosur after a 2009 that saw her make the semi finals at Roland Garros and win her first career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title.
The world No. 13 started by losing to Cirstea 6-3, 4-6, 3-6. She bounced back with a win over Oudin 6-2, 6-4 but lost to Martinez Sanchez on Thursday.
Hewitt had another good week in Perth advancing his Hopman Cup win-loss record in singles to 11-4 over five years. He beat Hanescu 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 on Saturday, Isner 6-1, 7-5 on Tuesday and then struggled to a loss to Robredo on Thursday.
Mixed doubles has hurt Australia in recent years and they lost all three this time around to take the losing streak to eight straight rubbers.
The United States is the most successful Cup nation with five wins, but rising young stars Oudin and Isner were out of the running after losing to Spain and Australia. Oudin went down in her first two matches to Martinez Sanchez and Stosur, but beat Cirstea 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday.
Isner pushed Robredo all the way to a third set tie-break on Sunday, before losing to Hewitt in straight sets. He didn’t get to play Hanescu on Thursday due to the Romanian’s injury, but did play a pro-set against Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.
In the mixed doubles, the American pair lost in straight sets to Spain but beat Australia 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 in the Match Tie-break.
Romania was making its first Cup appearance since 1998 and started in the best possible way beating Australia, but it then all fell in a heap once Hanescu retired hurt in the second Tie against Spain’s Robredo.
Nineteen-year-old Cirstea beat Stosur and lost to Martinez Sanchez and Oudin, while Hanescu lost to Hewitt in his only full match via the third set tie-break. They also won their only mixed doubles clash over the Australians on Saturday.
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