Perth: American tennis ace Serena Williams on Thursday defeated Katie Boulter of Britain to register her third consecutive singles victory in the ongoing Hopman Cup. The 37-year-old swept aside her British opponent 6-1, 7-6 (2) in a clash that lasted 72 minutes. The victory holds a special significance for the former world number one as she is preparing to make a bid for a record Grand Slam title in the upcoming Australian Open.
The 23 times Grand Slam champion started the match on a tentative note and had to toil hard to strengthen her grip on the match. She, however, gained momentum in the later stage to record a convincing win. Later, the USA mixed doubles team comprising Williams and Frances Tiafoe faced a 4 (2)-3, 3 (4)-4, 1-4 defeat at the hands of British pair Boulter and Cameron Norrie resulting in Britain winning the tie. Williams’ hopes of lifting the Hopman Cup for the record third time ended when the team United States were eliminated after losing their opening two ties against Greece and Switzerland.