TENNIS in DEPTH.

Elena Dementieva will make her debut at the Hopman Cup in January, rather than defend her title in Auckland. The Russian Olympic gold medal holder, who won the Toronto event last weekend to add to her Auckland and Sydney titles earned this season, will partner Igor Andreev at the ITF-sanctioned mixed team event.

Last year the Russians were represented by the brother/sister combination of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina, who finished as runners-up to the Slovak paring of Dominik Hrbaty and Dominika Cibulkova.

Also confirmed for the 22nd staging of the tournament, to be held at the Burswood Dome between January 2-9, is the Australian pairing of Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur.

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Is this what all the fuss is about? Maybe when she sweated the dress became see-through…..but she was wearing something underneath! But anyway, they still lost……..

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19 year old Dominika Cibulkova is far to young to remember Harry Hopman or what he means to tennis, but she was the dominant female tennis player at the 2009 Hopman Cup going undefeated in all her matches, and she will long remember the ovation she received from the crowd in Perth. Her partner Domonik Hrbaty upset Russian Marat Safin in his singles match after Dominika had beaten the number 3 player Dinara Safina, eliminating the need for a mixed doubles match to be played. The victory for the Slovak Republic was the third for this nation, and its two tennis stars can be very proud of their accomplishment. For Dominika Cibulkova it may be the ‘break’ she has been looking for, and who knows she might become the new glamour girl of the lady’s tennis scene.

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The Brother/Sister combo of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina defeated the French pair of Giles Simon and Alize Cornet to advance to the final of the 2009 Hopman Cup, where they will meet Dominika Cibulkova and Domonik Hrbaty of Slovakia. The Slovakia team defeated Germany after Nikolas Kiefer was forced to retire from the competition with a twisted ankle. His condition is unknown at this time. He was taken off the court on a stretcher to the local hospital where the extent of his injury will be determined. He hopes to be recovered in time to compete in the Australian Open.

The Safins came back from a 4-1 deficit in the first game of the doubles to win 6-4, and went on to win the match.

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Simone Lisicki & Nicolas Kiefer of Germany.

AUSTRALIA’S quest for a second Hopman Cup title will have to wait another year after a marathon 2-1 loss to the Slovak Republic early today.

Lleyton Hewitt continued his winning ways with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-7 (7-1) 6-4 triumph over Dominik Hrbaty but Casey Dellacqua lost her second match in as many days when world No.19 Dominika Cibulkova cruised to a 7-5 6-2 win in 84 minutes.

Australia, who lost 2-1 to Germany on Monday, needed to beat the Slovak Republic in the mixed doubles to win the tie and stay in the hunt for Friday’s final.

But a weary Hewitt and a luckless Dellacqua couldn’t muster the win, with Hrbaty and Cibulkova running out 6-7 (7-5) 6-3 7-6 (10-4 in match tiebreak) winners in a match that didn’t finish until 3.35am Melbourne time.

Slovak Republic, who beat the top-seeded US on Monday, can guarantee a spot in the final if they can defeat Germany in their final Group A encounter.

Earlier on Tuesday, Italy defeated France 2-1 in the group B tie.

Alize Cornet disposed of Flavia Pennetta 7-5 6-2 but Simone Bolelli kept Italy in the tie when he upset world No.6 Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-3 6-3.

Bolelli then combined with Pennetta to win the mixed doubles 6-4 7-6 (7-2).

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Australia’s top ranked woman Sam Stosur has wasted no time in her bid to crack the world’s top 30, producing an impressive straight sets victory on her first day of the Brisbane International.

On an otherwise disappointing day of results for Australia’s women, with a valiant Jelena Dokic losing and Hopman Cup representative Casey Dellacqua going down in Perth, Stosur flew the flag by disposing of ninth seed Ai Sugiyama 6-2 6-3 to the delight of the home crowd.

Minus her customary sunglasses at the covered Pat Rafter Arena, the world No.52 looked in control and dominated play against her older opponent.

Pushed continually throughout the match, Stosur saved seven break points to deny Sugiyama any chance of a comeback.

Her opening round victory was a grand return to form by the Australian, who has endured almost two years of hampered play due to illness and injury.

She reached a career-high of No.27 in early 2007, before bouts with viral meningitis and lyme disease pulled her back down.

The 24-year-old said it was a great start to the year and now has her eye on returning to the top 30 fold.

“If I can get back to the top 30 as soon as possible that would be great,” Stosur said.

“I haven’t really put a number on it as such in my own head, but … if I can keep playing like that and hopefully improve on it, then hopefully I can do well.

“But it’s the same old thing: take one match at a time.”

Lleyton Hewitt put more than four months of frustrating rehab behind him as he made a successful return to the court with a tough three sets victory over Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer at the Hopman Cup.

Hewitt, who underwent career-saving surgery on his hip last August, came from a set down to defeat Kiefer 6-7 (8-6) 6-3 6-2, keeping Australia in the tie after world No.56 Sabine Lisicki beat Casey Dellacqua 4-6 6-2 7-5 in the women’s singles rubber.

But Australia’s hopes of winning a second Hopman Cup title was left in tatters when Germany won the mixed doubles 6-7 (7-2) 6-3 7-6 (10-5 in the match tiebreak) to take the tie.

The loss means Australia must win their last two ties against the Slovak Republic and US – plus rely on other results to go their way – to reach Friday’s final.

Hewitt, who has slipped to 70 in the world rankings, displayed his trademark doggedness throughout his singles contest as he ground down Kiefer, who has now lost all four encounters against the South Australian.

“It’s good to be back,” Hewitt said after the match, which lasted almost three hours

Dokic, who also has eyes on climbing the rankings after a long absence, managed to push fifth seed Amelie Mauresmo to two tiebreaks, but could not go all the way, eventually falling 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5).

Tournament wildcard Dokic hit 31 winners to Mauresmo’s seven, but conceded 33 unforced errors to six and failed with two chances to serve for the first set.

“It hurts knowing I had those chances against her,” said Dokic, who played her last professional match in May last year.

“If I got blown away maybe it wouldn’t hurt so much.”

Mauresmo said later she thought the signs suggested Dokic could one day compete with the world’s top ranked women.

It was a tough day for fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova, who was booted from the tournament by 21-year-old Italian surprise packet Sara Errani 7-6 6-4 6-0.

Another leading light to bow out was eighth seed Francesca Schiavone from Italy, who was defeated by Belarus’ Olga Govortsova 7-5 6-2.

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