Hopman Cup Results: Romania Upsets Australia

In the first day of play of the 22nd Hyundai Hopman Cup, number six seed Romania upset the number one seed Australia. The 2-1 loss occurred for the hosting Australian team on their home court at the Burswood Dome in Perth.

The Romania team of Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu faced off against their fellow Group A opponents Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt that make up the team from Australia to start off the Hopman Cup tournament on Saturday. As with all of the ties, the women played a singles match, the men played a singles match and then the two teams played a mixed doubles tennis match.

In the women's singles match, Cirstea came back from being down a set to upset Stosur 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Stosur,ranked thirteenth in the world and is the top Australian women's tennis player, looked to have control of the match early in the first set.

Ranked 45th, Cirstea fought back like a veteran despite only being 19 years old. Stosur is 25 years old. Cirstea took just under two hours to win her first ever Hopman Cup match.

In the men's singles match, Hewitt also had to come back from being down a set to win his match over Hanescu, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(2). The 28 year old Hewitt is still working his way back up in the world rankings after having hip surgery in 2008. Hewitt is currently ranked 22nd in the world and has been number one in the past.

Hewitt fell behind the number 48th ranked Hanescu quickly in the first set, but fought back to make it a close set. Hanescu eventually won the first set.

In the second set, Hewitt took control and won that set. The third and final set was a hard fought battle sending the match into a tie breaker.

Hewitt came out on top of the tie breaker to score the match victory in a grueling two and a half hours. Hewitt out aced Hanescu, thirteen aces to four for the match.

After the singles matches, Australia and Romania was tied going into the mixed doubles match. The winner of the mixed doubles match would start the Hopman Cup tennis tournament off with an early advantage in Group A play.

The first set in the mixed doubles match was a tight one. Romania pulled out a close 7-5 win though.

In the second set, Romania quickly jumped out ahead and won the set and match 6-1. During the mixed doubles match, Romania won fourteen breaking points compared to only three for the Australians.

After the first day of play of the 2010 Hyundai Hopman Cup tennis tournament, Romania has taken an early advantage in Group A play with a stunning upset over the Australia team. Each team still has to play the rest of Group A teams to determine who will play the winner of Group B for the tournament championship next Saturday.

Written by Denise Clay
For Huliq

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