Robson out of Australian Open qualifying

Laura Robson, who was scheduled to play in the qualifying rounds of the Australian Open, has been forced to withdraw because of an upper thigh injury she sustained in Hopman Cup competition. Robson has also withdrawn from the first round of Fed Cup play. She will rest her leg and receive treatment for three weeks.

Robson is one of four players who were injured playing in Perth.

USA wins Hopman Cup

The USA, facing an unexpected Belgian team in the final, has won the 2011 Hopman Cup. Justine Henin defeated Bethanie Mattek-Sands 7-6, 6-3 (the first set lasted 69 minutes) in the women's singles rubber, but John Isner won his singles rubber, and the team of Mattek-Sands and Isner won the mixed doubles competition.

This is the sixth time that team USA has won the Hopman Cup.

Planet Hopman

Hopman Cup competition is supposed to be relaxed event. It has nothing to do with either tour, but is a season-opening tradition which fans enjoy. This year, it has also been the source of quite a bit of drama. Serbia was undefeated, and therefore, in the final, but Ana Ivanovic sustained an injury and the Serbian team had to withdraw. Francesca Schiavone was also injured, and Yaroslava Shvedova was injured so badly that she will not play in the Australian Open.

Kristina Mladenovic will probably not soon forget this Hopman Cup, either. Her doubles partner, Nicolas Mahut, dressed in a women's Lacoste outfit (complete with fake breasts) just like Mladenovic's for an exhibition match between France and the USA. His ensemble wasn't all French, though--Bethanie Mattek-Sands supplied him with tube socks.

With Serbia out, Belgium will play the USA in the final. In the meantime, Ivanovic reports that she expects to be able to play in Melbourne.

(There was another incident this week worth mentioning, though it occurred in Brisbane. Jarmila Groth's coach was not with her, so Sam Groth, the ATP player who is also her husband, stepped in. The pair engaged in a loud, unprintable argument during a break in her match against Andrea Petkovic. Groth lost the match.)

Hopman Cup injury update

Ana Ivanovic has withdrawn from the Medibank International in Sydney because of a strained abdominal muscle. Ivanovic pulled the muscle when she played her match against Justine Henin during Hopman Cup competition. This also means that Serbia, scheduled to play in the Hopman Cup final, will be replaced by Belgium. Belgium's opponent will be team USA.

Also hurt during Hopman Cup play was Francesca Schiavone, who sustained a groin injury during her match against Kristina Mladenovic.

Yaroslava Shvedova, who injured her right knee in Perth, has already announced that she is out of the Australian Open.

Serbia expected to play in Hopman Cup final

Serbia's Hopman Cup team, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic, have gone undefeated so far in Hopman Cup competition. Serbia has won all three rubbers against both Australia and Kazakhstan, and will face the team from Belgium next. Belgium, however, would have to win all three rubbers in order to keep Group A team Serbia out of the final, and that isn't likely to happen.

Group B consists of Italy, France, Great Britain, and the USA. In women's singles, the USA's Bethanie Mattek-Sands has defeated both Kristina Mladenovic of France and Italy's Francesca Schiavone. Mattek-Sands' defeat of Schiavone is her first top-10 win (though the Hopman Cup tournament is not part of the tour).

Kazakhstan waa originally represented by Yaroslava Shvedova, but she injured her right knee in the first rubber when she played Ivanovic, and she was replaced by Sesil Karatantcheva. Shvedova is currently in rehab for her knee injury.

Miscellany

Laura Robson, who has been training at the Mouratoglou Academy for a year, has hired Patrick Mouratoglou to be her coach for the 2011 season.

Serena Williams and her crystal-encrusted rehab boot are now being spotted on tennis courts.

Tennis Channel is now airing its Hot Shots of 2010. Look for the feature to be shown several times.

Hopman Cup competition begins on January 1.

Justine Henin reports that it may take months for her elbow to be fully healed.

Olivia Rogowska has been given a wild card into the main draw of the Hobart Inernational tournament. She recently won the Australian Open wild card playoffs in Australia.

Mattek-Sands to replace Williams in Hopman Cup

Bethanie Mattek-Sands has been named to the USA Hopman Cup team. Mattek-Sands replaces Serena Williams, who was forced to withdraw from the tournament because of her foot injury. Mattek-Sands and John Isner will represent the USA in the international team event, which begins on January 1. The USA is in Group B, with Great Britain, Italy and France. Group A includes Serbia, Belgium, Australia, and Kazakhstan.

Williams withdraws from Hopman Cup

Serena Williams, citing continuing problems with a foot injury, has withdrawn from the USA Hopman Cup team. She was scheduled to represent the USA with John Isner. An announcement is expected tomorrow on whether a new player will pair with Isner, or whether the USA will withdraw from competition.

This is the third time that the frequently-injured Williams has had to withdraw from the tournament.

Spain wins 3rd Hopman Cup trophy

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was expected to defeat Great Britain's Laura Robson in the Hopman Cup final, and Andy Murray was expected to defeat Tommy Robredo. What happened, though, was that Robson won, 6-1, 7-6, giving Martinez Sanchez her first loss in Perth this week. The Spaniard saved four match points, but Robson prevailed on the fifth.

Robredo, however, came prepared to put things back on track, and he did just that, defeating Andy Murray 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The Spanish team then won the mixed doubles match 7-6, 7-5.

This is the third time that Spain has won the Hopman Cup, and the second time that Robredo has been on the winning team.

Great Britain goes to Hopman Cup final

There was some scrambling today among three nations to determine who would face Spain in the 2010 Hopman Cup final, and Great Britain emerged as the winning team. Great Britain defeated Russia 2-1, with Elena Dementieva winning her match against Laura Robson, 6-4, 6-0. Robson and partner Andy Murray won the mixed doubles match, and Murray won the men's singles match.

In other Hopman Cup play, Kazakhstan defeated German 2-0. Yaroslava Shvedova defeated Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 7-6; the mixed doubles match was not played.

In the final, Robson will play Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Spain continues to win in Hopman Cup competition

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez defeated Sam Stosur 6-4, 6-1 today in Hopman Cup play. She and her partner, Tommy Robredo, also defeated Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt in mixed doubles. Robredo was successful in singles, so Spain defeated Australia 3-0.

The USA team received walkovers in both men's singles and mixed doubles because of Victor Hanescu's injury. In women's singles, Melanie Oudin defeated Sorana Cirstea 6-2, 6-3.

Spain has now reached the final. Here is a preview of how the next session will affect the teams that are also attempting to reach the final.

Lisicki and Dementieva win Hopman Cup matches

Sabine Lisicki won another Hopman Cup match today, defeating Laura Robson 7-6, 6-3. Great Britain, however, was victorious in both the men's singles and the mixed doubles matches.

In other Hopman Cup play, Elena Dementieva defeated Yaroslave Shvedova 6-3, 6-1. Kazakhstan won 2-1, by winning the men's singles and mixed doubles matches.

Lisicki, Shvedova and Stosur post Hopman Cup wins

In today's Hopman Cup competition, Russia defeated Germany 2-1. Germany's win, however, was in women's singles. Sabine Lisicki defeated Elena Dementieva 6-4, 6-1.

Yaroslava Shvedova, representing Kazakhstan, defeated Great Britain's Laura Robson 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, but Great Britain went on to defeat Kazakhstan 2-1, with a 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (12-10) mixed doubles score.

The only match completed in the Australia vs. USA competition is the women's singles. Samantha Stosur defeated Melanie Oudin 6-2, 6-4.

Spain runs over USA in Hopman Cup competition

The Spanish team of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Tommy Robredo handily defeated the USA 3-0 in Hopman Cup play today. Sanchez defeated Melania Oudin 6-4, 6-4, Robredo defeated John Isner, and the Australian team defeated the USA team in mixed doubles.

The USA's team wasn't the only top team to make an early exist. Number 1 seed Australia was defeated 2-1 by Romania. Sorana Cirstea defeated Samantha Stosur 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, and Cirstea and partner Victor Hanescu defeated Stosur and Lleyton Hewitt in mixed doubles.

One of tomorrow's highlights will be the Russia-Germany competition between Elena Dementieva and Sabine Lisicki.

Miscellany

Unless the proposed expansion of Roland Garros takes place soon, there are threats to move the French Open.

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour and Sony Ericsson are approaching a contract extension deadline, but no agreement has been reached. This comes as no surprise, considering how poorly Sony Ericsson has fared lately.

World number 1 Serena Williams has set a single-season prize money record. In 2009, she was paid $6.5 million.

Chris Bowers and Craig Gabriel are on Fed Cup Radio now, hosting a show that previews the 2009 Fed Cup final.

Laura Robson will team with Andy Murray to represent Great Britain in Hopman Cup competition.

Slovak Republic wins 2009 Hopman Cup

Dominika Cibulkova defeated Dinara Safina today, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4, sealing her perfect record at the 2009 Hyundai Hopman Cup. Her partner, Dominik Hrbarty then defeated Marat Safin, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6. This victory eliminated the need for a doubles match: The Slovak Republic has won the 2009 Hopman Cup. (Perhaps The Guardian will even figure out the name of the winning players' country.)

Shaughnessy loses in singles, wins in doubles

Meghann Shaugnessy, once again hampered by her bad knee, lost yesterday's Hopman Cup match against Casey Dellacqua (6-3, 6-4). The knee seems to be fine for several games, and then you can visibly see it buckle.

Shaughnessy and her partner, James Blake, did go on to defeat Dellacqua and Lleyton Hewitt in a very entertaining doubles match.

In other Hopman Cup results, Dominika Cibulkova defeated Sabine Lisicki, Flavia Pennetta defeated Hsieh Su-Wei, and Dinara Safina defeated Alize Cornet. Safina and her partner, Marat Safin, also won their doubles match against the the French team. Both the Italian team and the Slovak Republic teams won their doubles matches through walkovers.

Lisicki posts another Hopman Cup win

An obviously hurting Meghann Shaughnessy gave up a whole set to Sabine Lisicki in today's Hopman Cup competition. Having won the first set 6-4, Shaughnessy then proceeded to stumble, sweat and wince as her opponent took the second set 6-0. There was little doubt that Shaughnessy's knee--the one that kept her out most of last year--was not cooperating. She managed to pick her game up in the third set, but lost it, 4-6.

I do not know the extent of Shaughnessy's pain, but all the 2008 rehab and training apparently did not do the trick for her. It was sad to watch her play the second set, and one wonders what the rest of the season has in store for her.

Cibulkova wins Hopman Cup match

Dominika Cibulkova has defeated Meghann Shaughnessy, 6-2, 6-2 to win the women's portion of the Hyundai Hopman Cup contest between the Slovak Republic and the U.S. Cibulkova's next opponent will be Casey Dellacqua of Australia.

Lisicki gives Germany a Hopman Cup win

Sabine Lisicki has defeated Casey Dellacqua, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, in the first of three Hopman Cup matches between Germany and Australia.