Germany defeat hosts Australia in Hopman Cup

Germany edged hosts Australia 2-1 in the Hopman Cup yesterday by claiming victory in a third set tiebreak in the mixed doubles.

Nicolas Kiefer, playing the first mixed doubles of his career, combined with Anna-Lena Groenefeld to defeat Samantha Stosur and Wayne Arthurs 4-6 6-3 7-6.

Earlier Kiefer had squared the tie by beating Arthurs 6-3 6-4 in the eight-nation mixed team event.

Stosur gave Australia a winning start by defeating Groenefeld 6-3 7-5 after winning just two games in their only previous clash.

"I'm pretty happy because I had a long break and didn't know how I would play today," said Kiefer. "It's not easy to play against Wayne because you never get a rhythm."

Meanwhile, Teimuraz Gabash-vili, who replaced the injured Marat Safin in the Russian team, has himself been replaced by 26-year-old Yuri Schukin after sustaining an injury at a Challenger tournament in Doha.

Berlin-based Schukin, who was expected to arrive in Perth yesterday, will partner Svetlana Kuznetsova against the United States on Tuesday.