Davenport sends U.S. to record win
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All smiles as Blake and Davenport lift the Hopman Cup for the United States.
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PERTH, Australia (Reuters) -- The United States won a record third Hopman Cup on Saturday when Lindsay Davenport and James Blake retained the $A1 million mixed team title.
The Americans teamed up to beat Slovaks Karol Kucera and Daniela Hantuchova 6-2 6-3 in the decisive mixed doubles in Perth.
Earlier Kucera had hauled his nation level by beating Blake in a thriller 4-6 6-4 7-6 at the Burswood Dome.
The U.S. victory puts Blake's name in the tournament's record books as the only man to have won the Cup twice -- last year he partnered Serena Williams to the silverware.
"Well, again that's a pretty good way to start my year," smiled Blake, as he collected a cheque for A$120,000.
"As long as I keep being invited, I am gonna keep coming...this is real fun. And thanks to Lindsay. It is great, I come down here and my partners never lose. It makes my job a heck of a lot easier."
Chanda Rubin and Justin Gimelstob provided the other U.S. triumph back in 1997.
Kucera had earlier made a mammoth effort to claw the unlikely finalists back into the Hopman Cup reckoning when he beat Blake after Davenport had thrashed Hantuchova.
But they had little left in the clincher as the American duo romped through the mixed, both Blake and Davenport serve and volleying with panache.
"Congratulations to the great American team for winning this title again," Hantuchova said. "They didn't give us much of a chance there in the mixed."
The Slovaks only reached the final after the already-qualified Australian team had to pull out following an injury to Alicia Molik.
Davenport's pre-Australian Open stock rose further as she swept aside Hantuchova 6-3 6-1 in just 51 minutes.
The three-times grand slam champion's form has improved with each match in the Western Australian city and on Saturday she was irresistible.
