Night two of the 2016 Hopman Cup saw one of sports oldest rivalries light up the Centre Court at the Perth Arena. Great Britain who are one of the favorites to take out this year's title were challenged all the way by France in the nail biting tie which lasted close to six hours.
The world number two Andy Murray showed why he is one of the favorites heading into the Australian Open after demolishing the lowly ranked Frenchmen Kenny De Schepper 6-2, 6-2.
Young gun Caroline Garcia survived fight back in the second set by Heather Watson to level the tie at 1-1.
Finally, Great Britain survived a spirited comeback by french team to claim the decisive mixed doubles rubber 6-2, 5-7, 10-6.
Murray Ruthless In Season Opener
Andy Murray lived up to the hype of being the 2016 Hopman Cup’s headline player by easily dismantling 148 ranked Kenny de Schepper 6-2, 6-2. It took the scot only 58 minutes to defeat the Frenchmen who has been ranked as high as 64 in the world in 2014.
From the outset it seemed as though Murray would show no signs of any early season nerves as he broke De Schepper in the opening game of match. Murray then went on to comfortably consolidate the break and this set the tone for the rest of the match, as from this point on De Schepper could only manage four more games.
Throughout the match Murray returned De Schepper’s fast serve exceptionally well, allowing the Frenchmen to win only 55 percent of points of his first serve. With his greatest weapon not working De Schepper simply looked lost on court. In comparison, Murray won 84 percent of his first serve points and dominated with his speed from the back of the court.
Overall, it seemed as though the world number two had not lost any of the form which saw him help Great Britain capture its first Davis Cup since 1936 in November. However, later in the week Murray will no doubt face a tougher task when he takes on Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev who are biggest young guns on the ATP tour.
Garcia Survives Hiccup To Level The Tie
In contrast to the men’s singles, the women treated the big crowd inside the Perth Arena to a hard hitting battle. Great Britain’s Heather Watson and France’s Caroline Garcia have had some tough battles in the past like in the first round of Wimbledon last year when Watson defeated Garcia 8-6 in the third set. However, tonight it would be Frenchwomen who would get her revenge over the Brit. Despite a solid start in which saw Garcia race to a 6-3, 5-3 lead, a lapse in concentration saw Watson take the second set 7-5. In the third set Garcia composed herself and closed out the match 6-3.
The match was certainly played on Frenchwoman’s racquet. When she dominated, she did so with her high-risk heavy hitting game, even though at times it led to her making unnecessary unforced errors. Watson finished the match with four less unforced errors than her opponent, however, Garcia ended up hitting 40 winners compared to Watson's 16.
Great Britain Win The Tie After A Thrilling Mixed Doubles Clash
The tie was still up for the grabs as the teams entered the Perth Arena for the mixed doubles rubber. Great Britain drew first blood after breaking in the fourth game in the first set to go up 3-1. Murray and Watson kept their composure and easily closed out the first set 6-2.
The second set looked as though it was following a similar path to the first when Great Britain broke in the fourth game. However, this time France broke right back, and after a series of holds a poor service game by Heather Watson gave France the opportunity to send the match into a decisive match tie break.
Despite an even start to the tie break, after the score had reached 6-5 a couple of errors from France gifted Great Britain the victory and the tie 6-2, 5-7, 10-6.
France will look to snatch its first victory of the 2016 Hopman Cup when in takes on a struggling German team on Wednesday afternoon. Later that night the well anticipated clash between Nick Kyrgios and Andy Murray will take place as Australia Green and Great Britain face off.
