PERTH (Australia), Jan 7: Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Tomas Berdych had straight-set singles victories over France to give the Czech Republic their second Hopman Cup title here on Saturday.

Kvitova won the last three games of the first set and went on to beat Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-1 while Berdych was perfect in a first-set tiebreaker and beat Richard Gasquet 7-6 (0), 6-4. The Czech pair were unbeaten in singles through three matches leading to the final.

The mixed doubles match was not played because the championship was decided in singles.

The Czechs won the eight-country mixed teams title for the first time in 1994 when Jana Novotna and Petr Korda beat Germany in the final.

France have never won the Hopman Cup, although they lost the final in 1998 to Slovakia. France have played 18 times in the 24-year history of the tournament.

Kvitova, who could overtake Caroline Wozniacki for the No. 1 ranking if she wins the Sydney International next week, beat American Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova and Denmark’s Wozniacki in round-robin play before defeating Bartoli on Saturday.

Berdych was playing for the Czech Republic at the Hopman Cup for the third time. He beat American Mardy Fish, Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Denmark’s Frederik Nielsen in earlier play.

“It couldn’t be better, it was a great week,” Berdych said. “I think that was the best final that we could have come up with.”

Result: Final: Czech Republic beat France 2-0:

Petra Kvitova bt Marion Bartoli 7-5, 6-1; Tomas Berdych bt Richard Gasquet 7-6 (7-0), 6-4.—AP