December 29, 2007	Saturday	Zilhaj 18, 1428

PERTH, Dec 28: Mardy Fish is confident the United States can win without star team-mate Serena Williams, and add another Hopman Cup to their already impressive record in the mixed teams event.

The United States, which has won three of the last five Hopman Cups, has a tough opening match against Indian sensations Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna in a Group B tie here on Saturday.

Williams will miss the match due to illness that has delayed her arrival in Perth, prompting the late callup of veteran and noted doubles player Meghan Shaughnessy to team with Fish against the Indian pair.

“Meghan is a great girl and played here one time before with James (Blake),” said Fish ranked 39 in the world.

“She can play very well in doubles as well. If we can just squeak out one of the singles wins, I like our chances on the doubles court.

“I enjoy playing doubles just as much as she does,” Fish said.

Mirza and Bopanna were the surprise packet of the previous Hopman Cup earlier this year, almost reaching the final, and will fancy their chances against the newly-teamed American pair.

With Mirza, ranked 21 places above Shaughnessy in singles at 31, expected to win her match and Fish confident of beating Bopanna, the tie could be decided by the mixed doubles showdown.

Mirza and Bopanna were unbeaten in their three mixed doubles matches here earlier in the year, but Shaughnessy has plenty of experience, and Fish said she was a more than able replacement for Grand Slam winner Williams.

Tournament organiser Paul McNamee reiterated here Friday that Williams would arrive on Sunday morning and be fit for the other two US group matches.

Fish, making his second successive appearance in Perth having teamed with Ashley Harkleroad earlier this year, said Williams had already indicated her determination to win the Hopman Cup for a second time.

She successfully teamed with Blake in 2003 to clinch the title.

Fish said Williams had set her sights on collecting another of the unique diamond-encrusted tennis balls given to the winners.

“We played together in James Blake’s charity event, she was pretty fired up to come down here and she wanted a diamond ball,” Fish said.

“Her mom took the one she won before.

“She sounded really into it.” Fish conceded that the top-seeded Serbian pairing of world No.3s Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic were the team to beat in Perth. But he joked that he had been firing some verbal volleys at Jankovic on the practice court in recent weeks in an attempt to rile him before the showdown here.—AFP