Federer creates history in epic Hopman Cup triumph

Roger Federer has set another extraordinary record after becoming the first person in history to win the Hopman Cup on three occasions.

Federer saw off Alexander Zverev in the singles rubber to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead in the tie before Angelique Kerber beat Belinda Bencic to tie it up for the Germans.

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Federer gave Switzerland a 1-0 lead in the tie with a 6-4 6-2 win over world No.4 Alexander Zverev.

However, Kerber then took the tournament into a decider after levelling the tie with a 6-4 7-6 (8-6) win over Bencic in the women’s singles rubber.

The Swiss duo of Federer and Bencic then prevailed4-0 1-4 4-3 (5-4) in one of the most extraordinary mixed doubles rubbers of recent memory that came down to the final point.

Victory means Switzerland have now won the Hopman Cup four times.

The Swiss duo came out in the mixed doubles with a point to prove as they steamrolled the Germans in the first set.

Playing in the Fast4 format, Federer and playing partner Bencic raced away to take the opener 4-0 in little over 15 minutes.

German duo Zverev and Kerber had a game plan to hit as much as they could away from the racquet of Federer but it still wasn’t enough to nullify the Swiss threat.

Bencic looked shaky at times at the net but with the 20-time grand slam champ by her side, the 21-year-old’s confidence began to grow.

However, after Zverev held his first service game in the second set, the Germans got the break on Bencic to gain the ascendancy.

Switzerland threatened to break Kerber right back but the Germans dug deep to hold on in a sudden death advantage to go 3-1 up.

Federer threw an encouraging arm around Bencic after several mishit shots from his partner saw frustration levels rise.

Sensing their opportunity, the Germans pounced to take the next game and level the final rubber up at one set apiece.

Switzerland stole an advantage early in the decider after getting the break on Zverev’s serve.

The Swiss then took a sizeable step towards claiming the title after Federer held to give them a 2-0 lead.

The Germans were forced to stave off break points before finally managing to claim their first game of the deciding set.

Federer stood tall in the fourth game with some superb work at the net to put the Swiss on the cusp of victory.

However, the German duo took the next game, meaning Federer had a chance to serve for the Cup.

Kerber gave the Swiss a scare after trading blows with Federer before sealing arguably the point of the match.

Incredibly, Germany then grabbed three break points on Federer’s serve – taking the second one to send the match into a ‘first to five’ tiebreak.

Nothing could separate the sides as Federer served at 4-4 for a shot at history.

Fittingly, it was the best rally of the match that decided the destination of the trophy as Switzerland won a mixed doubles classic.