Germany down Australia in Hopman Cup

Germany [Images] edged hosts Australia [Images] 2-1 in the Hopman Cup in Perth on Saturday by claiming victory in a third set tiebreak in the mixed doubles.

Nicolas Kiefer, playing the first mixed doubles of his career, combined with Anna-Lena Groenefeld to defeat Samantha Stosur and Wayne Arthurs 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.

Earlier Kiefer had squared the tie by beating Arthurs 6-3, 6-4 in the eight-nation mixed team event.

Stosur gave Australia a winning start by defeating Groenefeld 6-3, 7-5 after winning just two games in their only previous clash.

She made a perfect start when a nervous Groeneveld double-faulted twice and then netted a backhand to give Stosur a confidence-boosting break for a 2-0 lead.

The second set went to serve until 4-4 when Groenefeld had to fight off four break points to hold serve. Stosur then held two more break points at 5-5, breaking by forcing a backhand error.

Groenefeld responded well to a pressure situation, holding off three match points before netting a return on the fourth.

"I was a little bit nervous in that last game, and in the end I was very happy to pull it out," said Stosur. "She hit a couple of winners when she was match point down. She played hard and really gave it her best shot.

"I just tried to play aggressive and play the way I like playing, hitting the ball and trying to mix it up whenever I can."

Kiefer looked sharp against Arthurs and did not lose a point on his first serve throughout the match.

A break for 2-0 was enough to decide the opening set, and the German always held the upper hand in the second, breaking with a lob on his sixth break point of the set to lead 4-3.

"I'm pretty happy because I had a long break and didn't know how I would play today," said Kiefer. "It's not easy to play against Wayne because you never get a rhythm."

Teimuraz Gabashvili, who replaced the injured Marat Safin [Images] in the Russian team, has himself been replaced by 26-year-old Yuri Schukin after sustaining an injury at a Challenger tournament in Doha.

Berlin-based Schukin, who is expected to arrive in Perth around midnight on Saturday, will partner Svetlana Kuznetsova [Images] against the United States on Tuesday.

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