Croatia have clinched their second Hopman Cup title after Borna Coric battled previous Switzerland’s Leandro Riedi 6-1 6-4 to seal a 2-0 victory within the mixed-gender staff competitors.
Coric’s victory adopted Donna Vekic’s comfy 6-3 6-4 win over Celine Naef and means Croatia change into the primary staff to raise the trophy following the event’s return to the tennis calendar after a four-year absence.
Switzerland are among the many most profitable nations within the occasion – which started in 1989 and was named after Australian nice Harry Hopman – having received 4 titles, together with the 2019 crown, thanks in no small half to the heroics of the now-retired Roger Federer.
Without the seasoned Belinda Bencic as a consequence of withdrawal, the younger Swiss staff scored victories over Denmark and France to high their group on this 12 months’s competitors however ran out of steam towards Croatia within the title conflict on the clay courts of Nice.
World No.15 Coric raced by means of the opening set in 31 minutes and recovered from an early lack of serve within the subsequent to shut out the win and break Swiss hearts.
Earlier, Vekic exchanged breaks with Naef early within the first set of the opening match of the tie, earlier than the extra skilled world No.22 pounced on her Swiss opponent’s serve within the eighth recreation en path to wrapping up the set.
Vekic confirmed loads of persistence and talent within the second set to stave off a comeback try by Naef, who slipped and took a tumble late within the contest earlier than crashing to her third defeat in as many singles matches within the event.
Croatia beforehand received the title in 1996, once they beat the identical opponents within the ultimate in Perth on a tough court docket, with Goran Ivanisevic and Iva Majoli the architects of that triumph.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
