India claims historic victory
India claims historic victory 
By Tim Clarke
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2006
THE Hopman Cup upsets kept coming today, with the debutant India team of Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna overcoming No.3 seed Czech Republic in a tense mixed doubles decider.
India, who qualified by defeating Chinese Taipei in the Asian arm of the mixed team tournament, marked its memorable debut by overcoming Tomas Berdych and Lucie Safarova 10-5 in a match tiebreak after the third rubber has finished 6-3 5-7.
The destination of the 19th Hopman Cup is now anyone’s guess given that No.1 seed Russia and the defending champion US both lost yesterday, to Australia and France respectively,
Berdych and Safarova, partners on and off the court, recovered from being one set and a break down to take the doubles to sudden death - but they were then undone by Bopanna’s power and Mirza’s touch.
The Indians were keen to give the credit to each other, with Mirza letting slip some trade secrets.
“Rohan played unbelievable in the mixed,” she said.
“I literally didn’t have to do much.
“He was flying all over the court … he had a banana before we went on.
“But I had to let loose also.
“I couldn’t just let the boys hit it.”
In stark contrast to his limp showing in the singles, Bopanna, seemingly more at home with some back-up, dominated the doubles net with some smothering volleys.
India made the key break in the first set in the eighth game, when Bopanna noted Berdych’s early move at the net to pass down the line.
Bopanna then stepped to serve out the set, with an ace to wrap up the opener.
India then made a seemingly crucial break in the seventh game of the second bracket, and a straight-sets upset looked likely.
But Czech Republic broke back immediately and, with then broke Mirza again to take the match into a first-to10 tiebreaker.
Bopanna and Mirza settled their nerves by winning the opening three points of the tiebreak, and Mirza then remained ice cool to make a while her partner hit clinical volleys to set up the historic victory.
Mirza had enhanced her growing reputation as one of Asia’s brightest tennis stars before Berdych restored some order to the so-far topsy-turvy event.
Berdych made short work of Bopanna, taking just 46 minutes to dispatch the man 268 places below him on the world rankings.
The 6-2 6-2 scoreline was the same as that by which Mirza had dealt with Safarova, with the Indian needing just eight minutes longer to open her country’s account in its first Hopman Cup appearance.
AAP