Williams eyes prize after win
Williams eyes prize after win 
By Nicolas Perpitch
Former Australian Captain December 31, 2007
WORLD No.7 Serena Williams is determined to win the Hopman Cup, or steal it if she has to, after the US won their second tie of the tournament against the Czech Republic with Tomas Berdych retiring ill.
Berdych, ranked No.14, came down with a stomach bug and could not muster his usual power or serve, forcing him to retire during the mixed doubles and forfeit his singles match against 39th ranked Mardy Fish.
The No.2 seeded US won the tie 3-0 after Williams earlier made a good start to her Australian summer campaign with a hard fought 6-0 2-6 7-5 victory over 23rd-ranked Lucie Safarova in the women’s singles rubber.
Williams, the reigning Australian Open champion, said she could have played better but was happy with her win.
“I wasn’t feeling really motivated, and I feel like I wasn’t moving at all,'’ Williams said.
“I was able to pick up my game at the right time. I think she had the chance to go 5-2 and I was just able to bring it through and that was really satisfying.'’
Williams breezed through the first set, but Safarova came back strongly in the second, and the pair pushed each other hard in the last until Williams wrapped it up with her 10th and 11th aces of the match in the 12th game.
Williams said she’s ready to repeat her 2002 Hopman Cup win with James Blake, when her mum took the winner’s jewelled tennis ball.
“I kind of wanted to steal the one I saw today but I thought I might as well try to win it first and if it doesn’t work out, go to plan B.'’
The Czech Republic can now not make the final after their earlier loss to Australia.
Berdych announced he could not go on after the US stormed to a 6-0 win in the first set of the doubles.
“I would like to say sorry and apologise for today, my feeling’s not too good,'’ Berdych said.
Tomorrow, Australia’s Alicia Molik and Peter Luczak play India’s Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna, who lost 2-0 to the US on Friday.
Agence France-Presse