Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic win 3rd Hopman Cup for Switzerland!

2001

 2018

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World No.2 Roger Federer paid tribute to Martina Hingis on the way to winning his second Hopman Cup crown.

Federer gave Switzerland a perfect start in the final against Germany by coming from a set down to beat world No.4 Alexander Zverev 6-7 (4-7) 6-0 6-2 on Saturday night.

But former world No.1 and Australian Open champion Angelique Kerberlevelled the tie for Germany with a 6-4 6-1 thumping of Belinda Bencic in a match that lasted just 63 minutes.

Switzerland secured the title by winning the Fast4 mixed doubles 4-3 (5-3) 4-2.

Federer was just 19 when he won the Hopman Cup in 2001 alongside then world No.1 Hingis.

Since then, he has won a record 19 grand slams to cement himself as a legend of the sport.

Federer paid tribute to the influence Hingis had on paving the way for his decorated career.

"She had a great career and to have that in a small country like Switzerland is very rare," Federer said.

"I could look up to her and think, 'Wow, how is she being so mentally strong and so consistent at such a young age and I can't do that yet in practice and in the matches, let alone week in week out'.

"It made me also believe with hard work and dedication you get really far, because I didn't believe that much at that point when I was younger, I thought it was more all talent."

Switzerland now have three Hopman Cup titles to their name.

Germany have two - their last coming in 1995 when Boris Becker and Anke Huber beat Ukraine in the final.

A record attendance of 106,424 fans attended this summer's Hopman Cup.

The previous record was 104,468 set back in 2013.

Federer won all four of his singles matches at the Hopman Cup, and is full of confidence heading into his Australian Open defence.

espn.com

Roger Federer & Belinda Bencic going for Swiss perfection reach finals of Hopman Cup for the first time since 2001

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Federer set the Swiss on their way with an entertaining 7-6 7-5 victory over Jack Sock, before Belinda Bencic took out CoCo Vandeweghe in two hard -fought sets to give the Europeans an unassailable 2-0 lead.


Switzerland are looking to win the Hopman Cup for the second time, following their success back in 2001, when Martina Hingis partnered Federer, and 16 years later, the evergreen Swiss, alongside Belinda Bencic, is on the verge of giving the country her second title. The Federer-Bencic combination is featuring at the Hopman Cup for the second straight year- they finished second in the round-robin phase last season, narrowing losing out to eventual champions, France, but the likeable duo have been on a mission to make amends for their 2017 shortcomings, moving through to the final without losing any rubbers.


Opting to begin his season at the more relaxed atmosphere of the Hopman Cup, Federer will surely have appreciated the workout he has had so far. The opposition has got progressively more difficult, from a routine win over Yuichi Sugita in his opening match, to his hard-fought straight-sets conquest of the big-hitting Karen Khachanov, and then Thursday night’s gripping win over Sock.


Federer had all the early chances against Sock, failing to convert a 15-40 lead at 2-1 and a 0-40 lead at 3-2, with the resolute American opponent across the net coming up with some big forehands, and clever work at the net to stay with Federer. Sock tidied up his serve, and held more comfortably after that, carving out a break point in the ninth and eleventh games, but the set ultimately went into a tie break, with Federer taking early control with two mini-breaks for a 3-0 lead. Sock refused to go away, and evened the breaker at 4-4, but Federer won three of the next four points to take the opening set.


Federer’s break-point conversion woes continued at the start of the second set, with the Swiss missing out of another 15-40 opening at 1-1, but he eventually found his way late in the set in a moment of inspiration. With Sock crowding the net and volleying Federer from side to side, the great Swiss showed fantastic athleticism to cover the baseline before unfurling a magical forehand on the run that was too hot to handle for a bewildered Sock. It was so good that it drew a gasp, and then a giggle from Federer himself. That helped Federer to a 6-5 lead, and the Swiss went on to serve out a thrilling 7-6 7-5 victory after an hour and 35 minutes.


“I’ve maintained a high level in all three matches, which is a great thing. This was another step up in terms of ranking and I thought it was a very entertaining match for both of us and we got to interact with the crowd, which was great. I thought it was a good step forward”, Federer said.


“It was a lot of fun. We sort of get the opportunity to try out things in the right fashion, without the chase of so many ATP points”.


With Switzerland 1-0 up from the men’s singles, Belinda Bencic ensured that the Swiss will finish top of the group, and take their place in Saturday’s final with a very impressive 7-6 6-4 victory over world number 10, CoCo Vandeweghe. There wasn’t much to separate the pair, but it was Bencic who played the big points better, holding her nerve to close out the win.


Bencic may be ranked outside the top 70 at the moment, but it is surely just a matter of time before she attains a spot much closer to her career-high No. 7 spot. The 20-year-old has had a rough deal with injuries in recent years, dropping outside the top 300 in September, but a relentless run of form at the back end of last season yielding WTA 125K titles in Hua Hin and Taipei, and an ITF meet in Dubai propelled the Swiss to a year-end ranking of 74. She has carried on from where she left off in 2018, beating three quality opponents in the Hopman Cup. Bencic opened with a straight-sets victory over Naomi Osaka, before edging out world number 15, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in three sets. However, Thursday’s victory over Vandeweghe was arguably her most impressive effort this week.


Bencic came through a rollercoaster opening set on a tie break, before breaking early in the second set to take control of the match. Vandeweghe made one last push when Bencic served at 4-3, building up a 15-40 lead, but the Swiss kept her composure remarkably to emerge with four straight points. Two games later, she closed out a fine win, sealing the deal with a forehand drive volley.


Federer and Bencic then joined forces in the mixed doubles to defeat Sock and Vandeweghe, as Switzerland went 9-0 in their 2018 Hopman Cup rubbers.


Switzerland will know their next opponents when Group A is decided on Friday, with Germany, Belgium and hosts, Australia all in with a chance of winning the group.

livetennis.com

Roger Federer secures Hopman Cup final for Switzerland in Perth

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Roger Federer has set his sights on Hopman Cup glory after guiding Switzerland into Saturday's final in Perth.

Switzerland secured its spot in the tournament decider of the mixed-teams event after Federer and Belinda Bencic won their singles matches against the United States last night.

Federer, the reigning men's Australian Open champion, beat Jack Sock 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 in front of a record Hopman Cup crowd of 14,029 at Perth Arena, before Bencic defeated world number 10 CoCo Vandeweghe 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Germany, boasting world number four Alexander Zverev, will also qualify for the final if it beats Australia today.

If Germany loses, it will open the door for Belgium to sneak into the final.

Federer was just 19 when he won the Hopman Cup in 2001 alongside Martina Hingis.

He narrowly missed out on making the final with Bencic last year, but now has the chance to add a second Hopman crown to his bulging trophy cabinet.

"That would be special," Federer said.

"It would be lovely to win again."

Bencic was thrilled to make the decider.

"We were so close last year. I am relieved we made it," Bencic said.

Sock, who retired from his singles match against Japan on Tuesday with a hip injury, put up a good fight against Federer in the opening set, sending it to a tiebreak.

The two players had enjoyed some playful banter up until that point, and it continued in the tiebreak when Federer climbed over the net to help lift up Sock after the American took a tumble.

Federer won the tiebreak, and secured the crucial break in the 11th game of the second set following an epic rally that had the Swiss scrambling to all parts of the court.

"All I remember was the last two shots — the pick-up on the backhand, and the forehand on the run down the line where he ends up not making the volley," Federer said.

Sock said he had not felt too far away from taking at least a set off Federer.

"You got to play high quality against him or else you are going to get dusted, and it's going to be pretty embarrassing out there," he said.

"You better bring your best stuff or it's no fun playing him. I thought I served well today for the most part.

"He came up with an unbelievable point to break in the second set."

abc.net.au

Roger Federer edges closer to Hopman Cup final in Perth

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Roger Federer edged closer to a second Hopman Cup title when Switzerland beat Russia in the Hopman Cup tie at Perth Arena on Tuesday night.

Federer opened up with a hard-fought 6-3 7-6(8) win against Karen Khachanov, while partner Belinda Bencic outlasted Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 3-6 6-3 to seal the tie victory.

The Swiss maestro started tentatively and was broken in the first game of the match by the Russian world No.45 in front of a record crowd of 13,943.

But Federer regained his composure quickly, immediately breaking back to level at 1-1.

The 36-year-old was down a break point in his next service game, but regrouped to take a commanding 4-1 lead.

The world No.2 closed out the first set in 29 minutes, before fighting off a brave challenge from Khachanov to take the match in 77 minutes.

The Swiss maestro praised Khachanov, describing him as a tough opponent in a clash that “had a bit of everything”.

“I thought the intensity was great and the level high too,” Federer said.

“It was a bit of a serving exhibition for 45 minutes or so and then at the end the tiebreaker was close.

“It was a good match overall and I was very happy with my performance.”

Federer claimed his first Hopman Cup title in 2001, teaming with fellow teenager Martina Hingis to beat Americans Jan-Michael Gambill and Monica Seles 2-1 in the final.

The win proved the start of a stellar career, with Federer claiming his first ATP later that year in Milan.

The 36-year-old has gone on to claim 19 Grand Slam titles, and won the Australian Open and a record eighth Wimbledon title last year after launching his campaign in Perth.

Federer’s hopes of a title defence at Melbourne Park later this month have been boosted with leading rivals Andy Murray (hip), Rafael Nadal (knee), Novak Djokovic (elbow), Kei Nishikori (wrist), Jack Sock (hip), Milos Raonic (wrist) and Stan Wawrinka (knee) all battling injury.

Federer expected world No.8 Sock to recover in time to take his place when Switzerland and USA clash on Thursday night.

Each have won two ties at Hopman Cup 30, with the winner set to advance to Saturday’s final.

“I think with a days rest he should be ok again tomorrow, at least I hope so,” Federer said.

“That’s the echoes I am hearing through the corridor.”

thewest.com.au

Roger Federer makes triumphant return to court at Hopman Cup

World No 2 Federer beat Japan's Yuichi Sugita 6-4 6-3 in the Hopman Cup today.

It was the Swiss star’s first match of the new campaign as he gets ready for the Australian Open.

Federer won in Melbourne in 2017 after spending six months out with injury.

He competed for the majority of the 2017 campaign and is already tipped to claim more Grand Slam titles in the coming one.

And he admits he’s already found his rhythm after just one match, having struggled to do the same 12 months ago.

This year I feel much more in a rhythm," said Federer on hopmancup.com.

"You get to break point or the moment where you have to serve the first time of the year, and it's a normal thing.

"Whereas last year, I was like, 'Ooh, I hope I'm going to be able to hit my first serves, and I hope it's going to work out as much as it did in the practice'.

"I'm just very happy I was able to have a good level today, and stay calm under pressure.

“I had some good moments moving forward and playing up in the court.

“That's how I want to play for the year. I think it was a great start."

express.co.uk

And he also won his mixed doubles at Hopman Cup with Belinda Bencic as well. 

Things are shaping up well for Australian Open and another good year :).

Roger Federer hits the beach in Perth before Hopman Cup

Roger Federer loved the off-court outings on his return to Mastercard Hopman Cup in 2017; but if there one was sight the Swiss star didn’t quite manage it was of the famous quokka, despite a visit to the iconic Rottnest Island last year.

So Federer made it a priority to acquaint himself with the local wildlife on his return to Rottnest this time around. Arriving by helicopter and greeted by fans and officials – including West Australian premier Mark McGowan – the highlight of Federer’s afternoon was undoubtedly the selfie he snapped with the famous marsupial.

“I thought it was going to be like a bigger mouse but it’s more like a smaller kangaroo.” said Federer. “But it’s very cute.”

Later, Premier McGowan presented Federer with a toy quokka, appropriately named “Roger”, to pass on to his young family.

Federer also talked to media abroad luxury yacht Anya and enjoyed some local cuisine in a picture perfect afternoon.

hopmancup.com

SO jealous!

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