WAIS individual support program athlete Casey Dellacqua has broken through for her first win of 2009, defeating American Meghann Shaughnessy in straight sets on the penultimate day of the Hyundai Hopman Cup.
Dellacqua outclassed the former world number 11 6-3, 6-4 in 62 minutes to record her maiden victory at the Hopman Cup and put Australia 1-0 up against the United States.
After the match the 23-year old said that although her and partner Lleyton Hewitt won’t be playing in Friday night’s final the tournament has been good preparation for late January’s Australian Open.
“I feel like I am slowly starting to hit the ball better, but I am a bit disappointed I have not been able to help Lleyton out a bit more in the singles,” said at the post match media conference.
“(I’m) happy to have a win today and give me a bit more confidence for the next few weeks leading up to the Australian Open.”
Dellacqua will have one more match in front her of home crowd, with the mixed doubles tie to follow Hewitt’s match up against world number 10 James Blake.
Earlier in the week Dellacqua lost her second match of the teams invitational, falling 7-5, 6-2 to the Slovak Republic’s Dominika Cibulkova.
47 unforced errors cost the Woodvale product any chance of taking the match against the world number 19 despite her ability to consistently break the Slovak’s serve which at one stage saw her lead 4-2 in the opening set.
Hewitt reversed the result in the men’s tie before they paired up in the mixed doubles.
Dellacqua and the former world number 1 secured the first set 7-6 in a tie break to keep their flickering cup hopes alive, but the Slovaks hit back in the second 6-3. The third set went to a super-tie break to decide the tie with the Australians unable to prevail, going down 10-4.
