Men's tennis roundup, 5 January 2019: Federer helps Switzerland win Hopman Cup, Bopanna-Sharan win 1st ATP title together
There was plenty of thrilling tennis action on the courts in Australia, Qatar, and India as three out of the four tournaments came to an end on January 5.
The Hopman Cup, Maharashtra Open, and Doha Open came to a close with the winners being crowned in the singles and doubles categories. Meanwhile, the Brisbane Open will conclude on January 6 with the men's singles and doubles final yet to take place.
Without further ado, let's take a look at what transpired in these tournaments:
Hopman Cup: Switzerland triumph over Germany in a thrilling final
The Hopman Cup saw a thrilling finale as team Switzerland defeated Germany in a repeat of the 2018 final. Just like last year, the final began with Roger Federer defeating Alexander Zverev in the men's singles. However, unlike last year, Federer found it much easier, defeating the German in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
The women's singles was quite a tight affair, with Angelique Kerber coming out on top against Belinda Bencic 6-4, 7-6(6). The mixed doubles affair was an entertaining one, which went right down to the very last point, with the Swiss pair coming out on top after a tie-break which was filled with some superb shot-making from all four players.
Doha Open: Bautista Agut defeats Berdych to claim title
Roberto Bautista Agut continued his great run of form, defeating Tomas Berdych to clinch the title. Agut had defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals after going a set down. In the final against Berdych, he went a set up before losing the second one. However, he came back strong to win the third set and the championship 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. This was the world no. 24's ninth ATP title.
Maharashtra Open: Bopanna-Sharan triumph in front of home crowd; Anderson defeats Karlovic in thriller
Much to the delight of the crowd, the Indian pairing of Rohan Bopanna and Divij Sharan defeated the British pair of Luke Bambridge and Jonny O'Mara in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to win their first ATP tour title together. Unlike the previous two matches, which went right down to the wire, this was a pretty much straightforward victory for the Indians.
Meanwhile, in the men's singles, world no. 6 and no. 1 seed Kevin Anderson lived up to the billing as he defeated 39-year-old Ivo Karlovic to lift the Maharashtra Open title. The match was a serving masterclass as neither of the two players were broken throughout the match, with each set going to the tie-break. Karlovic had a great chance in the third set tie-break as he was leading 5-2 but Anderson fought back to win his sixth ATP title.
Brisbane Open: Nishikori to take on Medvedev in final
Kei Nishikori saw off the challenge from French veteran Jeremy Chardy, winning the match quite easily in straight sets 6-2, 6-2. Meanwhile, Russia's Daniil Medvedev continued his fine run of form and put a stop to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's comeback, winning the match 7-6(6), 6-2. Medvedev and Nishikori will take on each other in the final on January 6.