United States beat Czech Republic after Berdych quits
World number seven Serena Williams had put the United States ahead with a hard-fought 6-0, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Lucie Safarova.
Berdych was a doubtful starter because of a virus and organisers had allowed him to play the mixed doubles first in the hope that it would help him complete the match.
But after losing the first set 6-0 to Williams and Mardy Fish, Berdych quit, also handing the American a walkover in the singles to give the United States a 3-0 victory.
Looking fitter than in recent years, Williams, who only arrived in Perth on Sunday because of a recent stomach virus, began superbly against Safarova, racing through the first set in just 22 minutes.
Safarova was also struggling to overcome a similar illness to that of her boyfriend, Berdych, but she improved as the match wore on, surging to a 3-0 lead and then holding on to level the match.
Hitting a series of winners, particularly down the line, it looked like world number 23 Safarova would cause an upset when she led 4-2 in the third set and held a point for a 5-2 lead.
But Williams hit back and after levelling at 4-4, she broke again in the 11th game before serving out for victory.
“I know Lucie’s a great player so I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Williams said. “After the first set, I thought, ‘I’m on my way to victory and the next thing I know, I’m almost down 5-2 in the third.”
With Meghann Shaughnessy standing in for the late-arriving Williams, the United States beat India 2-1 in the opening match. They play Australia in their final Group B match on Thursday.
The winners of both groups at the eight-nation mixed team event will meet in Friday’s final.—Reuters