France reach Hopman Cup final

Topple Spain 2-0 at the mixed team event in Australia.

PERTH: France kept alive their hopes for a first victory at the Hopman Cup, advancing to the final after beating Spain 2-0.

The second-seeded French pairing of Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet were too good for the other unbeaten team in Group B, Spanish duo Anabel Medina Garrigues and Fernando Verdasco.

Bartoli continued her impressive early season form ahead of the Australian Open to put the French on track for tomorrow’s final when she beat Medina Garrigues 6-2, 6-4 in the women’s singles.

Richard Gasquet, 19th in the world, then cruised past world number 24 Fernando Verdasco by the same scoreline in the men’s singles to put the French into the final.

Bartoli was excited to have the chance to be the first French team to win the Hopman Cup.

“It’s the first time we have played together so we couldn’t have asked for more,” she said. “We want the diamond balls,” she added, referring to the diamond-encrusted tennis balls the winners receive.

Simon makes Brisbane semis

Elsewhere, Frenchman Gilles Simon continued his low-key run at the Brisbane International with a solid 7-6, 6-4 quarter-final victory over Santiago Giraldo to enter the semis.

Meanwhile, Belgium’s former world number one Kim Clijsters continued her good form since returning from injury, cruising into the women’s semi-finals with a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Czech player Iveta Benesova.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2012.