Perth: Marion Bartoli and Richard Gasquet beat China`s Li Na and Wu Di 6-1, 6-1 in mixed doubles Saturday to give France a 2-1 win in the opening fixture of the eight-country Hopman Cup.
Most googled female athletes of 2011
Earlier, Gasquet beat Wu 6-1, 6-3 to level after French Open champion Li had beaten Bartoli 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in women`s singles to give China an early lead at the Burswood Dome.
Bartoli broke Li`s serve in the fifth game of the final set to take a 3-2 lead, but Li broke back to level the set at 4-4 and took the match by breaking in the final game. Wu double-faulted on match point in his loss.
Li, who lost the Australian Open final to Kim Clijsters at the start of 2011 before her French Open win over defending champion Francesca Schiavone, had a poor half of last year after suffering a right knee injury. She lost in the second round at Wimbledon, the first round at the U.S. Open and in the round-robin stage at the WTA Championships.
Her win Saturday gave her some confidence for 2012.
"At the beginning of the match she was playing so fast, I was like `what`s going on`," Li said. "But after three or four games I got used to it."
"If I go somewhere to play a tournament, more people know who I am. I lose concentration on the court. It`s tough after winning a big title."
Australia`s unseeded pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Jarmila Gajdosova play third-seeded Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in the only match Sunday.
On Monday, Czech Republic plays Bulgaria and the United States, with Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Mardy Fish, takes on world women`s No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and Frederik Nielsen of Denmark.
The U.S., Denmark, Czech Republic and Bulgaria and playing in Group A, with France, Spain, Australia and China in Group B. The group winners play next Saturday in the final of the 24th annual tournament.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.