India claimed the deciding mixed-doubles rubber in a thriller today at the Hopman Cup. The rubber went down to the wire requiring a match tie-break to decide the rubber against Australia.

Earlier in the day India's Sania Mirza had defeated Australia's Alicia Molik 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 before Peter Luczak hit back for Australia, winning the men's rubber against Rohan Bopanna 7-6, 6-3. This set the tie up nicely with the mixed doubles to decide the issue.

The Indian pair of Mirza and Bopanna played a lot more impressively than the Australians in the first set. A feature of their game was the quickness of Bopanna at the net. He left the Australians guessing where he would move as India took the first set 6-2.

'Instead of the usual third set to decide the match, the teams played a deciding tie-break (the first team to reach 10 points). This turned out to be a thriller'


In the second set, India had looked in control when up 4-2. However, Molik and Luczak stormed back to win four straight games and take the set 6-4. Instead of the usual third set to decide the match, the teams played a deciding tie-break (the first team to reach 10 points). This turned out to be a thriller, both teams having two match points before India squeezed through 13-11. India's win keeps their final hopes alive.

Earlier, the Australian crowd were looking forward to a first-up win by a local in the Hopman Cup when Molik, ranked 56 in the world, faced off against Mirza, ranked 31. The 21-year-old Indian held a 1-0 career record over Molik after a win in Hobart a year ago.

After taking an early 1-0, 30-0 lead, things went bad for Molik in the first set and two consecutive service breaks saw her fall behind. At 2-4 down, she may have been able to fight back but she blew a 40-0 lead to once again lose serve. Mirza, 21, was able to serve out the first set and take it 6-2.

Both players served at 58 percent in the first set but Molik only won 27 percent of points when getting her first serve in. The speed of the Molik serve was not troubling Mirza and in fact helped her return to Molik with pace. The first set was over in 30 minutes.

Molik took a 2-0 lead in the second set but the Indian was able to break back but then lost her next service game to fall behind 3-1. Molik was down two break points in the next game but played well to end the run of service breaks.

The 26-year-old Australian looked to be a step too slow at times but as the match progressed she was looking stronger and she levelled the match with a second-set 6-2 score. But Mirza took the deciding set 6-4 to give India the lead in the rubber.

In the after-match interview Mirza said her key goal was to stay healthy for 2008 and that the rankings and wins would take care of themselves.

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