Top-seeded Serbia has defeated France 2-1 in a Group A showdown at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament in Perth, Australia.
The team of Novak Djokovic and Jelena Jankovic appeared to be in jeopardy early on when Jankovic was forced to retire early from her singles match against Tatiana Golovin because of an leg injury. For his part, Djokovic easily beat Arnaud Clement 6-3, 6-3 in the men's singles.
Jankovic managed to return to play in the mixed doubles match, which she and Djokovic won 5-7, 6-4, 10-4.
Meanwhile, underdogs Taiwan defeated Argentina, 3-0, knocking the South Americans out of contention for the final. Taiwan took an unbeatable 2-0 lead when Hsieh Su-Wei defeated Gisela Dulko in three sets, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5, and Lu Yen-Hsun scored a 6-3, 6-4 win over Juan Ignacio Chela. Hsieh and Lu won the mixed doubles in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6.
Argentina takes on Serbia while France plays Taiwan Thursday in Group A. The U.S. team plays Australia and India meets the Czech Republic in Group B. The top finishers in each group advance to Friday night's final.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
