It was a highly anticipated clash of two of the greatest tennis players in history, with 43 grand slam singles titles between them. Serena Williams and her partner Frances Tiafoe faced Roger Federer and his partner Belinda Bencic at the Hopman in Perth, Australia on New Years Day. Earlier in the evening, Federer beat Tiafoe in the singles match 6-4 6-1, giving Switzerland a 1-0 lead. Williams then edged past Bencic in their singles match 4-6 6-4 6-3, levelling the tie. This meant that the mixed doubles match was going to determine which team wins the tie, giving it even more attention.
Williams had a strong opening service game in the mixed doubles, with two of her serves being too challenging for Federer. However, quick-fire rallies from Federer, with Bencic hitting some good winners as well, allowed team Switzerland to take the victory in straight sets of the Fast4 format 4-2 4-3 (5-3) in 46 minutes. They had an at-capacity crowd of 14,000 tennis fans.
In order to keep their hopes of the title alive, the US, who lost to Greece in their opening tie, needed to beat Switzerland. But a 2-1 loss could still be enough for them to make it. If Switzerland, who have won both of their ties, gain victory over Greece on Thursday night, they will guarantee themselves a spot in the final on Saturday afternoon.
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Photo: Serena Williams of the United States and Roger Federer of Switzerland take a selfie on court following their mixed doubles match during day four of the 2019 Hopman Cup at RAC Arena on January 01, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Post match Williams said
“It was so fun. This is super cool that we get to do it at such a pinnacle point of our careers,”
