Spain secured a place in the finals after beating Australia 2-1. The two-time Hopman Cup champions will get to know who their opponents will be this Saturday as Group B matches will be conducted today.
Meanwhile, the United States made a late rally to beat Romania 3-0. However, the win was not enough for the team to make it to the latter stages of the tournament.
Australia had the chance to make it to the finals if they won all their matches in straight sets. Their hopes were dashed when Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez outlasted Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-1.
“I didn’t get to where I wanted to during the match. But she put the pressure on me throughout the whole match so I couldn’t do too much,” Stosur said.
Her compatriot Lleyton Hewitt defeated Tommy Robredo but the former appeared to have a lower back injury which could affect his chances at the upcoming Australian Open.
“It is fine, I just had a bit of a back spasm in the first game of the singles. It loosened up as the match wore on, but it was
frustrating at the start,” Hewitt assured.
Spain won the title in 1990 and 2002. Battling for the other final berth are Britain, Kazakhstan, Germany and Russia.
