PERTH — Venus Williams and John Isner led the United States to a 2-1 victory over South Africa at the Hopman Cup mixed team competition Sunday. Venus rallied to defeat 60th-ranked Chanelle Scheepers 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. After Kevin Anderson beat Isner 7-6 (0), 7-6 (5), the match came down to mixed doubles. Venus and Isner beat the South Africans 6-3, 6-2 to clinch victory. Venus took some time to settle in against an opponent who rallied well and hit the ball deep. Scheepers broke Venus at love to serve for the first set. But after that, the seven-time Grand Slam champion looked increasingly comfortable and began to play more aggressively. Venus clinched the second set when Scheepers double-faulted. She then won the first four games of the third. Venus was playing for the first time since winning at Luxembourg in mid-October. In the late contest, Spain beat France 2-1 after Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues teamed up with to win the mixed doubles against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mathilde Johansson. Tsonga put France ahead when he beat Verdasco 7-5, 6-3 in the singles, and Medina Garrigues leveled by overcoming Mathilde Johansson 6-3, 6-2. The Spaniards dominated the mixed doubles, winning 6-3, 6-3. Tsonga saved three set points before going up 1-0. He then broke three times in the second set and closed out the match on his fourth match point. Medina Garrigues was rarely under pressure against Johansson, breaking to lead 4-3 and then taking the opening set when Johansson hit a double-fault on break point. Three consecutive breaks of serve in the second set left the Spaniard leading 3-1, and she broke once more at love to claim victory. On Monday, top-ranked Novak Djokovic and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic represent Serbia against the Italian team of Andreas Seppi and Francesca Schiavone. —Agencies
