France won their first Hopman Cup title on Saturday night, taking a thrilling decider against Poland.
The two countries split the singles rubbers at the mixed teams tournament, with Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beating Poland’s Grzegorz Panfil, while Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland edged past France’s Alize Cornet in an epic battle.
The French pair then claimed the tie with a 6-0, 6-2 win over the Polish duo in the mixed doubles rubber.
Photo: EPA
France had previously been beaten in the 1998 and 2012 finals.
No player during the tournament showed more determination to win than Cornet and she was understandably thrilled to notch her country’s first win in the tournament.
“We made history today and France finally won the Hopman Cup,” she said. “I think we deserved it, we played a great week.”
World No. 10 Tsonga said Cornet had a future in Hollywood after her theatrics on court, which included jumping into his arms after the winning point.
The Frenchman said he was pleased with his form heading toward the Australian Open, finishing unbeaten in singles this week and said winning the event was the icing on the cake
“It is always great to hold a trophy,” he said.
Although Panfil was on the wrong side of the ledger in the final, the tournament was still the highlight of his career.
Ranked 288th in the world, he beat two top 30 players in Milos Raonic and Andreas Seppi, and pocketed what is easily the biggest pay cheque of his career.
The 26-year-old was a late replacement for countryman Jerzy Janowicz in the tournament.
Panfil had career prize money of US$137,936 and collected A$90,000 (US$81,000) for losing the final.
After Tsonga won his singles match in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, Radwanska leveled the final with a grueling win over Cornet in a high-intensity match with many long rallies.
The world No. 5 survived a marathon 80-minute second set, during which she held a match point, before the Frenchwoman finally squared the match in the tiebreak with her fifth set point.
However, Cornet had run herself to the point of exhaustion, at one stage suffering the ignominy of incurring a time penalty as she struggled to regain her breath following yet another long rally.
She tired in the final set, allowing Radwanska to prevail in 2 hours, 33 minutes to win 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, in one of the most remarkable matches ever seen at the mixed teams tournament.
Despite the vast chasm in their rankings, Tsonga had his hands full with the little-known Panfil.
Tsonga created numerous break points, converting just two of 14, but got a shock when Panfil capitalized on his only opportunity to break in the eighth game of the second set, leveling the match.
However, Tsonga steadied in the decider to maintain his unbeaten record in seven singles matches in Perth, Australia.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
US President Donald Trump said he would attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday at Madison Square Garden, but said he does not have much sympathy for ordinary basketball fans who cannot afford sky-high ticket prices to do the same. “They can watch it on television,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Friday as he flew to Wisconsin for an event with farmers, after he was asked about tickets that have climbed as high as US$8,000 each when the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs square off in Manhattan for the first time in the series. “It’s sorta
RSS