Britain to meet Spain in Hopman Cup final

Perth:

Andy Murray brushed past Igor Andreev 6-1, 6-0 as Britain beat Russia 2-1 on Friday to claim a spot in the final of the Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis event.

Elena Dementieva squared it at 1-1 when she beat 15-year-old Laura Robson 6-4, 6-0 but Murray teamed with Robson to beat Andreev and Dementieva 6-4, 6-7 (6), 7-6 (6) in an exciting mixed doubles climax.

Britain comfortably took the first set of the decisive doubles and led by a break in the second but the tie pivoted on a knife edge before Murray's consistency and Robson's tenacity saw Britian to the narrowest of victories.

The British pair had to win to earn the right to face Spain, which clinched its place in the final with a win over hosts and top-seeded Australia on Thursday.

Murray set the tone for the tie with his comprehensive win over Andreev and contributed vital points throughout the decisive doubles. He took only 48 minutes to blast Andreev off the hard courts of Perth's Burswood Dome, ensuring Britain followed up its earlier Group B wins over Kazakhstan and Germany.

Kazakhstan beat Germany 2-0 in Friday's other group B match.

"I didn't make too many mistakes and I got off to a good start," Murray said. "It settled me down.

"Today was definitely the best I've played so far."

Andreev, the world No. 35, was unable to match Murray's power as the Scot took the first set in 29 minutes. Murray wrapped up the second set in only 19 minutes as Andreev appeared powerless to match his strength and scope.

Dementieva's experience carried her to a convincing win over world No. 403 Robson, though the young Briton fought tenaciously, pulling back two service breaks to square the first set at 4-4.

Dementieva then took control, winning eight straight games to complete her win in 66 minutes.

"She's playing unbelievably well for 15 years old, I was very impressed with her," Dementieva said.

Kazakhstan had a chance of reaching the final if it beat Germany and Britain had lost to Russia.

Yaroslava Shvedova beat Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 7-6 (3) and Andrey Golubev beat Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-1 in the singles.

Spain is a two-time winner of the Hopman Cup, in 1990 and 2002, while Britain is making its first appearance in the final.