Hopman Cup 2019: Roger Federer, Switzerland Repeat as Champions

Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic won Switzerland's second straight Hopman Cup title on Saturday, beating Germany 2-1 in the final.

Federer won the first rubber of the day, cruising past Alexander Zverev, before Angelique Kerber forced a decider with a victory against Bencic.

The mixed doubles was a close affair, but the experienced Federer and his partner pulled through in the end, winning the tournament on a winner-takes-all match point.

Here are the full scores from the final:

Roger Federer bt. Alexander Zverev: 6-4, 6-2

Angelique Kerber bt. Belinda Bencic: 6-4, 7-6 (6)

Switzerland bt. Germany: 4-0, 1-4, 4-3 (4)

Recap

Federer may now be 37 years old, but with the Australian Open on the horizon, the veteran star is showing no signs of slowing down.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner reserved his best performance of the tournament for the first match of the final, as shared by tennis writer Jose Morgado:

Zverev did reasonably well to keep pace on serve in the opening set but could get nothing done on Federer's serve. A single break was enough for FedExpress to take the advantage, and he continued to pile up winners in the second set.

By the end of the contest, he had converted 60 per cent of his break chances without ever conceding a single break point himself:

Kerber was expected to beat Bencic in the women's singles but was made to work by the 21-year-old, who rode her serve to a close tiebreak in the second set.

Bencic ultimately fell short in the decider as her nerves failed her, which was a common theme throughout the match.

The Swiss player couldn't defend a single break chance:

In the decider, the Swiss duo jumped out to an early lead and appeared to be cruising to the win, taking the opening set 4-0. The Germans hit back in the second set, however, tying things up in a hurry.

The final set turned into a thriller, and Kerber had to pull out all the stops to keep Germany in the match with a stunning shot that bypassed the net. 

The entire tournament came down to a decisive, winner-takes-all point:

For Federer, it's his third Hopman Cup win. Bencic was his partner in last year's tournament as well.