Britain is making its first final appearance at the Hopman Cup after beating Russia in a tight semifinal encounter. World number four Andy Murray defeated Igor Andreev 61 60 to even up the match. Earlier in the day, Elena Dementieva defeated Laura Robson to put Russia in an early lead.
The doubles match sealed the victory for Britain as Murray and Robson recorded a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) win over Andreev and Dementieva that put Britain into the championship.
“I didn’t make too many mistakes and I got off to a good start. It settled me down. Today was definitely the best I’ve played so far,” Murray said after the match.
Murray opted to skip the Qatar Open where he was a two-time defending champion in favor of this tournament, which he feels is a better tune-up for the Australian Open, which takes place less than two weeks from now.
Two-time champion Spain secured the final on Thursday after beating host country Australia.
