Romanians stun home team in Perth
Sunday, 3 January 2010
PERTH, Jan 2 (AFP): Romania stunned top seeds Australia with an upset 2-1 win in their Group A tie at the mixed teams Hopman Cup at Perth's Burswood Dome Saturday.
With the tie split after the respective singles matches, the Romanian pairing of Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu shocked Australia's Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt in the deciding mixed doubles.
With Cirstea continuing the good form she earlier showed in beating Stosur in the women's singles and Hanescu overcoming the cramp that plagued him in his singles loss to Hewitt, the Romanians won the doubles in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, to clinch a marathon tie.
The opening day of the tournament got off to a bad start for the Australians when the 45th-ranked Cirstea trumped the 13th-ranked Stosur in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to give her side the early advantage.
Hewitt then kept the host nation in the tie with a gritty three-set win over Hanescu, coming from a set down to win, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
Both Hewitt and Stosur boast grand slam doubles titles and the Australians were expected to be the most accomplished doubles team in the tournament, but the Romanians had all the answers, dominating the second set as Stosur's form woes continued.
Cirstea was thrilled with her start to 2010.
"For me today was a perfect day," she said.
"I started with a really good singles match and I beat Sam, who is 13 in the world and is playing great.
"Then coming out and playing mixed with Victor for the first time in my life and I cannot expect more than this."
Having only been in Australia for three days after spending Christmas in much cooler climes in his home country, Hanescu was exhausted by the end of the doubles.
With the tie split after the respective singles matches, the Romanian pairing of Sorana Cirstea and Victor Hanescu shocked Australia's Samantha Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt in the deciding mixed doubles.
With Cirstea continuing the good form she earlier showed in beating Stosur in the women's singles and Hanescu overcoming the cramp that plagued him in his singles loss to Hewitt, the Romanians won the doubles in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, to clinch a marathon tie.
The opening day of the tournament got off to a bad start for the Australians when the 45th-ranked Cirstea trumped the 13th-ranked Stosur in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, to give her side the early advantage.
Hewitt then kept the host nation in the tie with a gritty three-set win over Hanescu, coming from a set down to win, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).
Both Hewitt and Stosur boast grand slam doubles titles and the Australians were expected to be the most accomplished doubles team in the tournament, but the Romanians had all the answers, dominating the second set as Stosur's form woes continued.
Cirstea was thrilled with her start to 2010.
"For me today was a perfect day," she said.
"I started with a really good singles match and I beat Sam, who is 13 in the world and is playing great.
"Then coming out and playing mixed with Victor for the first time in my life and I cannot expect more than this."
Having only been in Australia for three days after spending Christmas in much cooler climes in his home country, Hanescu was exhausted by the end of the doubles.