PERTH – France kept their Hopman Cup hopes mathematically alive with a 2-1 win over Great Britain in the mixed teams tournament on Wednesday. But the fate of the French pairing of Kristina Mladenovic and Nicolas Mahut is not entirely in their own hands. To reach the final they need record a clean sweep over Italy in their final round robin tie on Friday, and hope that the British team of Laura Robson and Andy Murray, who are out of contention, can upset the unbeaten United States by the same scoreline.
France have never made the Hopman Cup final in 16 previous appearances. If the United States, the most successful nation in the tournament’s history with five titles, can win just one rubber on Friday they will play in Saturday’s final. In the women’s singles in the France-Great Britain tie, Mladenovic won the battle of the teenagers against Robson to give her side the lead. Mladenovic, 17 and a former world junior number one, beat the 16-year-old Robson in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-0.
Andy Murray then levelled the tie with a hard-fought 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5) win over Nicolas Mahut in the men’s singles. Mahut was up a break in both sets, but the world number four showed his class by raising his game when it mattered. But the Frenchman then overcame an ankle injury to lead his side to victory in the deciding mixed doubles.
