US and Australia flop in opening matches

Defending champions the United States and hosts Australia lost their opening Hopman Cup ties in Perth yesterday after lacklustre displays against Slovakia and Germany respectively.

World number 10 James Blake and Meghann Shaughnessy had been expected to get the top-seeded Americans off to a flying start in the mixed team event.

However, Dominika Cibulkova eased past Shaughnessy 6-2 6-2, while Dominik Hrbaty tamed Blake in a 6-3 4-6 7-6 tussle. The Slovakian duo completed a 3-0 rout with a 6-4 7-6 win over Shaughnessy and Blake in the doubles.

Germany triumphed in a deciding mixed doubles tiebreaker to defeat Australia 2-1 in the other Group A clash.

The German pair of Nicolas Kiefer and Sabine Lisicki won the deciding tiebreaker 10-5 to clinch the match 6-7 6-3 7-6 after the two singles rubbers had been split.

Lisicki gave Germany the early lead when she beat Casey Dellacqua 4-6 6-2 7-5 but Australia squared the tie when Lleyton Hewitt defeated Kiefer 6-7 6-3 6-2.

Despite the loss, Hewitt said he was encouraged by his own performance in his first match since undergoing hip surgery in August.

"I've been hanging for this match for a long time... it's a great way to start the year," he told reporters.

"It takes a lot of courage to come back from surgery and to come back and lose the first set in a tiebreak and then win the second and third convincingly - it's a good start."

Russia and France won their Group B ties at the weekend.

The winners of each group will contest Friday's final.