Hopman Cup 2019, Day 1: Preview, Timings, Format, and Where To Watch
The 2019 tennis season is just a day away as the players and fans get ready for another exciting year of tennis action.
The season will kick off at Perth, with the Hopman Cup beginning on December 29. This will be the 31st edition of the tournament, which began way back in 1989. It's a one-of-a-kind team tournament, with men and women competing together.
While the players do not gather any ATP or WTA points from the tournament, the results are tallied by the International Tennis Federation.
Just like any other year, this year will also see 8 teams participating. Germany, France, Australia, and Spain were drawn into Group A while Switzerland, USA, Greece, and Great Britan were drawn into Group B.
The 2018 edition of the tournament was won by Switzerland, who defeated Germany in the final of the tournament.
The tournament will see the likes of Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Alexander Zverev, and Angelique Kerber take part for their respective countries.
The first round of matches will begin tomorrow, December 29, from 10:00 AWST.
Here is all the information you need to know:
Format:
The men's and women's singles will be played in the normal format, with six games per set and three sets in total, with a tie-break to determine the winner in each set if the players are tied at six games apiece.
The mixed doubles, on the other hand, will be played in the Fast 4 format, like last year. In the Fast 4 format, the first team to four games wins the set. There are no advantage scores, 'lets' are allowed, and tie-breaks are played at three games each.
Overall, the team which wins two matches will win the round. Each team will face off against each other in the group stages. In the end, the top team from each group will qualify for the final to be played on January 5.
Match 1: Great Britan vs Greece(Group B)
Time: 10:00 AWST (07:30 IST)
The first match of the day will see Great Britan take on Greece. Unfortunately, Andy Murray is not competing for Great Britain. They have named Cameron Norrie as the men's singles player and Katie Boulter as the women's single player.
Meanwhile, teenage sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas will be playing for Greece alongside his partner Maria Sakkari.
The first match of the round will be the women's single encounter followed by the men's singles match between Cameron Norrie and Stefanos Tsitsipas. The final match of the round will be a mixed doubles match.
First match: Katie Boulter vs Maria Sakkari
Second match: Cameron Norrie vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Third match: Norrie/Boulter vs Tsitsipas/Sakkari
Match 2: Australia vs France(Group A)
Time: 17:30 AWST (15:00 IST)
The second and final match of the day will see home side Australia take on France. Australia have named Matthew Ebden and Ashleigh Barty as the two players while France have named Lucas Pouille and Alize Cornet as their two players.
First match: Ashleigh Barty vs Alize Cornet
Second match: Matthew Ebden vs Lucas Pouille
Third match: Matthew Ebden/Ashleigh Barty vs Lucas Pouille/Alize Cornet.
Where To Watch:
All the matches can be streamed live on SonyLiv.