PERTH, 11 January 2004 — Lindsay Davenport and James Blake made history at the $750,000 Hopman Cup yesterday as the US became the first nation to win back-to-back titles at the international mixed team competition.
The pair assured the holders of a third trophy at the Burswood Dome, following up on 1997 and 2003 wins as they earned a 2-1 victory over Slovakia.
The winners took away a check for $190,000, with each also pocketing an 18-carat gold and sterling silver tennis ball studded with diamonds.
Karol Kucera threatened for the challengers, who took their place in the final through injuries to Australia and Belgium after Davenport put the top seeds an early lead as she beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1.
Like her three previous group matches at the Burswood Rome, Davenport’s 51-minute 6-3, 6-1 effort looked easy for a former Australian Open champion who got through the week in Perth without the loss of a set.
But there was a setback to the winning scenario as battler Kucera leveled the tie after two hours, 14 minutes of battle to defeat Blake 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).
It came down to the mixed doubles rubber for the second time in three years, with Blake putting an end to any Slovak upset hopes as he closed it out with two straight aces 6-2, 6-3.
Wildcard Escude Lifts Qatar Open Title
In Doha, French wildcard entry Nicolas Escude bounced back from an injury-stricken 2003 to lift the Qatar Open title yesterday, defeating Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic 6-3 7-6 in the final. Escude, back in action after a six-month lay-off with a hip injury, only started hitting the ball again in November.
Carlos to Clash With Thai Star in Indian Open Final
In Madras, India, top seed Carlos Moya of Spain and defending champion Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand booked themselves into the ATP Indian Open final with contrasting semifinal wins yesterday.
Crowd favorite Paradorn survived six match points against Tommy Robredo of Spain before qualifying for his third successive final here with a tough 1-6, 7-6 (12-10), 7-5 win.
Venus and Ferrero All Smiles After Hong Kong Wins
Venus Williams completed a successful return from six months on the sidelines with a straight sets victory over Russia’s Maria Sharapova in the Hong Kong Challenge exhibition event yesterday.
Williams, playing in her first tournament since losing last year’s Wimbledon final to sister Serena, dug deep to outclass her 16-year-old opponent 7-5, 6-3 at Victoria Park. In the men’s event, Spain’s Juan-Carlos Ferrero defeated Switzerland’s Roger Federer in straight sets 6-4, 6-4.
