Hopman Cup: Gasquet powers France to title

Richard Gasquet won a thrilling singles rubber against USA's Jack Sock before teaming with Kristina Mladenovic to clinch the title for France.

Published : Jan 07, 2017 23:07 IST

Kristina Mladenovic and Richard Gasquet won the Hopman Cup for France.
Kristina Mladenovic and Richard Gasquet won the Hopman Cup for France.
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Kristina Mladenovic and Richard Gasquet won the Hopman Cup for France.

Richard Gasquet and Kristina Mladenovic claimed Hopman Cup glory for France with a doubles victory over the American pairing of Jack Sock and Coco Vandeweghe.

This week's event in Perth saw Roger Federer make his long-awaited return, after six months out through injury, but the 17-time grand slam champion and Swiss team-mate Belinda Bencic were unable to make the final.

Instead, it was France and the USA who duelled it out on Saturday and the former ran out winners as Gasquet followed up his battling singles win over Sock by playing his part in a doubles triumph, after Vandeweghe had got the better of Mladenovic to level the tie.

Gasquet was pushed all the way by Sock in the day's opening rubber, the Frenchman ultimately prevailing 6-3 5-7 7-6 (8-6) after his opponent had served for the match at 6-5 up in the third set and spurned a match point in the tie-break.

Vandeweghe beat Mladenovic in straight sets to make it 1-1, but France then made a flying start to the decisive short-form doubles - taking the opening set 4-1.

The USA fought back, breaking to level the second set at 3-3 when Gasquet served for the match, but France then romped through the subsequent breaker to secure the title.

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