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Australia, with Casey Dellacqua and Matt Ebden in the team, start their 2015 Hopman Cup campaign against Poland tonight at the Perth Arena. Join The Roar for a live blog of the important match from 8:30pm AEDT.
For the first time in the history of the event, Australia will be represented by two Western Australians for the Hopman Cup in Perth.
After the withdrawal of Nick Kyrgios from the event, because of a back injury, Matthew Ebden was called into the team to replace the Australian number 2.
Ebden – who has been as high as 61 in the world – will make his first appearance for Australia in the Hopman Cup.
The Perth local will partner with fellow Sandgroper Casey Dellacqua for the event. This year will be Dellacqua’s second Hopman Cup after she made her debut in 2009.
Her record is 1 win and 2 losses in singles and 0 wins and 3 losses in doubles.
The team face a tough challenge first up as they take on one of the favourites for the competition.
Poland, who made the final last year, return with Agnieszka Radwanska back in the team to make amends for the loss last year.
She will combine with Jerzy Janowicz who will play this year after being a last minute withdrawal last year.
Together the combination is one of the strongest in the competition.
They are expected to compete with Great Britain – who is also in the group – for the spot in the final from Group B.
Australia, after losing Kyrgios, has slipped from favouritism and is ranked as big outsiders with the bookies.
That won’t worry Dellacqua and Ebden who will fear no-one in the competition and will look to surprise everyone.
At the Hopman Cup, that can happen, and the 2014 edition showed that.
Poland, with Grzegorz Panfil, was expected to make up the numbers because of the low ranking of Panfil.
What followed was a dream run by Poland as they made the final. Panfil, who became a star of the event, won two of his matches to guide his country to the final.
With players coming back from a long pre-season, and the heat being a big factor, anything can and will happen at the Hopman Cup.
Australia will be looking to shock and surprise everyone this year. It starts against Poland today.
Here is a quick look at each match today.
Matt Ebden vs Jerzy Janowicz
Odds – Janowicz 1.25, Ebden 3.75
Ranking – Janowicz 43, Ebden 231
Head-to-head – never played
After a horror 2014 for Ebden, he has his chance to start 2015 with an upset victory against Janowicz.
In 2014, Ebden won just 7 of his 34 matches on the tour. Two of them came in the opening three weeks of the year in Australia.
He has the chance to forget about that against Janowicz. Janowicz, ranked 43 in the world, will be a great test for Ebden as he starts to build his ranking again.
This match will be about power. Can Ebden hold on, and survive, against the barrage from Janowicz?
If he can then he is every chance of causing the upset tonight.
His serve is also a key to the match. When Ebden struggles in a match, his serve tends to do the same.
Ebden needs to get plenty of first serves in to create free points against Janowicz. This match will be tough for Ebden.
He is unlikely to win a set against the Polish player who has a big game. Janowicz will win in straight sets.
Casey Dellacqua vs Agnieszka Radwanska
Odds – Radwanska 1.25 Dellacqua 3.75
Ranking – Radwanska 6 Dellacqua 29
Head-to-head – Radwanska 1-0 – Wimbledon 2014 – 6-4 6-0
This promises to be a good match between two players who had great seasons last year.
Dellacqua had her best year on the tour in 2014 as she rose 100 spots in the rankings to finish in the top 30.
Radwansaka, who finished the year at world number 6, won the Canadian Open as she finished inside the top 10 for the fourth straight year of her career.
She also announced over the off-season that she would be coached by Martina Navratilova.
The key to this match will be the baseline rallies.
Dellacqua needs to hit plenty of winners and minimise the long rallies in the contest.
Radwanska, who uses precision and power in her shots, will try to outsmart her opponent over the course of the rally.
The longer the rally, the more time Radwanska has to finish the point in her own terms.
When they faced each other at Wimbledon, Dellacqua made too many unforced errors in the match. She made 22 and only hit eleven winners in the match.
This needs to reverse if Dellacqua is to win.
This match will be closer than Wimbledon and Dellacqua can win a set tonight. Radwanska though will be too strong for the Australian.
Doubles and Tie
Australia has an advantage in the doubles with both players tasting success on the doubles tour.
Both players are Grand Slam champions in mixed doubles and both have won titles in doubles.
They also played mixed doubles at the 2012 Australian Open where they made the Round of 16.
Doubles is a lottery in Hopman Cup. Picking the winner is tough. Australia though has a combination that can win them doubles matches during the event.
Unfortunately for them they need to win a singles match tonight.
I can’t see them doing that and Poland will win the contest before the doubles is started.
If Australia can surprise in the singles then watch out for the upset.
Prediction – 2-1 Poland
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