Hopman Cup 2016: Monday Tennis Scores, Results and Updated Schedule
Andy Murray and Heather Watson steered Great Britain to a thrilling win in their Hopman Cup match on Monday, with the pair triumphing in the mixed doubles decider against France to notch a 2-1 win.
However, there was disappointment for the United States in Group A, as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Ukraine earlier in the day.
Vicky Duval and Jack Sock were beaten in the singles by Elina Svitolina and Alexandr Dolgopolov, handing the match to the Europeans. Duval deputised for Serena Williams, who pulled out due to injury, per Nick Mulvenney of Reuters.
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Here's a look at the full results from Monday, and the forthcoming schedule:
| Elina Svitolina (UKR) | 6-4, 6-1 | Vicky Duval (USA) |
| Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) | 6-4, 6-2 | Jack Sock (USA) |
| Duval/Sock | 6-2, 6-3 | Svitolina/Dolgopolov |
| Andy Murray (GBR) | 6-2, 6-2 | Kenny De Schepper (FRA) |
| Heather Watson (GBR) | 3-6, 7-5, 3-6 | Caroline Garcia (FRA) |
| Watson/Murray | 6-2, 5-7, 10-6 | Garcia/De Schepper |
| Tuesday, Jan. 5 | Czech Republic vs. Ukraine |
| Tuesday, Jan. 5 | Australia Gold vs. USA |
| Wednesday, Jan 6. | France vs. Germany |
| Wednesday, Jan 6. | Australia Green vs. Great Britain |
Monday Recap
Murray destroyed De Schepper in their battle on Monday, as Great Britain prevailed in their opening game of the contest.
The 6-2, 6-2 straight-sets victory gave the British team a 1-0 lead in the best of three matches.
Murray outclassed his opponent in the first game, breaking De Schepper's serve with ease, leaving his French adversary in his wake.
A further break in the fifth game sealed control of the set for the Scot, as De Schepper struggled to keep up with Murray's world-class talent. The former Wimbledon champion took only 30 minutes to claim the first set.
The Hopman Cup's official Twitter account highlighted Murray's play and support for his endeavours as he closed out the set:
The Scotsman was just as ruthless in the second set, as he drove the ball around the court with supreme control and style.
Back-to-back breaks gave Murray a 4-1 lead in the second, and it was an advantage the Frenchman could not deny.
Murray was never in trouble at any point in the match, and he mopped up any shots dropped short by his opponent.
The Brit was delighted as he completed a good day at the office, before his doubles match later on Monday. Murray admitted he loves the competition after winning the match, per the tournament's feed:
Watson was unable to scale similar heights, though, losing to Caroline Garcia by a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 scoreline in her singles match.
It was a tie which Garcia always seemed to preserve a slender advantage in, with the Brit finding it very difficult to establish any rhythm in her game early on, losing a disappointing first set. But Watson did well to reassert herself in the match during the second stanza, producing some big shots with pressure on to take it, with the clash, and overall match, on a knife edge.
But Garcia is a class act and she was able to stem the momentum built up by Watson in the deciding set, taking it 6-3 and levelling up the match.
As we can see via the Frenchwoman’s Twitter feed, it was a game played in competitive but fair spirits:
It meant everything was to come down to the mixed doubles and with Murray by her side, Watson seemed emboldened, playing a key role in Britain taking the opening set. However, the French came roaring back to level, prompting the playing of result-determining tiebreak.
In it, Murray and Watson were able to get over the line by a 10-6 scoreline, giving them a perfect start to the competition. As we can see here courtesy of Ricky Dimon, afterwards Watson had a surprising revelation about her partner:
The USA team were hamstrung by the withdrawal of Williams with knee inflammation, leaving Duval with the duty of partnering Sock.
However, the pair were soundly beaten in their singles matches; Svitolina defeated Duval 6-4, 6-1, while a confident display by Dolgopolov saw him take a 6-4, 6-2 win over Sock.
Sock lost his serve in the fifth game and could not counter against Dolgopolov, who was in top form. The Ukrainian raced to a 4-0 lead in the second, as Sock surrendered with little recourse.
Murray looked in fine fettle on Monday, and although Watson was unable to show her best in the singles, she seemed to settle in the doubles match. With a clash against Australia Green to come on Wednesday, it's imperative there are some improvements if Great Britain are to go far in this intriguing competition.
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