India upset Czechs in Hopman Cup

India's tennis star Sania Mirza crushed Lucie Safarova, 6-2, 6-2 at the Hopman Cup in Australia.

Sania Mirza won her singles match and then combined with Rohan Bopanna in the doubles to guide India to a 2-1 win on Sunday over the Czech Republic on its debut in the Hopman Cup mixed team tournament.

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Mirza beat Lucie Safarova 6-2, 6-2 before Tomas Berdych leveled it for the Czech Republic with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Bopanna in 46 minutes.

India, which qualified by winning the Asian Hopman Cup event, won a tense deciding doubles encounter 10-5 in the match tiebreaker after splitting the first two sets 6-3, 5-7.

Mirza credited Bopanna with getting India through the doubles, after the Czech team rallied from a set and a break down to force a match tiebreaker.

"Rohan played unbelievable in the mixed, I literally didn't have to do much. He was flying all over the court," Mirza said. "But I had to let loose also, I couldn't just let the boys hit it." In the opening Group A matches on Saturday, late inclusion France upset defending champion United States 2-1 and Australia beat top-seeded Russia 2-1.

Result from Hopman Cup tennis tournament, Burswood Dome, Western Australia, on Sunday.

Group B

India bt Czech Republic 2-1

Women's singles: Sania Mirza (IND) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 6-2, 6-2

Men's singles: Tomas Berdych (CZE) bt Rohan Bopanna (IND) 6-2, 6-2

Mixed doubles: Mirza/Bopanna (IND) bt Safarova/Berdych (CZE) 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (10-5)