Tennis news - Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic beat Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe
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Updated 01/01/2019 at 15:15 GMT
Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic swept past Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe 4-2 4-3 in their hotly anticipated 'battle of the legends' match at the Hopman Cup.
Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic and Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe
Image credit: Getty Images
The Swiss pair won the mixed doubles clash with a packed stadium in Perth enjoying every moment of Federer and Serena going head-to-head for the first time.
Tiafoe saw his serve broken as Federer and Bencic took control of the opening set, and the American pair could not find a response.
There was a memorable moment in the second set when a Tiafoe shot struck a shocked but amused Federer on the head with the match played in very fine spirits.
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Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic at the Hopman Cup
Image credit: Getty Images
Federer and Bencic required a tie-break to close out a very evenly-contested second set, losing three points in the breaker to seal victory.
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Highlights: Federer gets better of Serena in Hopman Cup mixed doubles
Federer and Williams, both 37, have won a combined 43 Grand Slam titles and clearly loved the challenge of playing each other at last.
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Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic and Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe
Image credit: Getty Images
"I'm kind of sad it's over," Serena said, with Federer next to her in a joint interview before they took a 'GOAT selfie' together.
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Serena and Federer pose for GOAT selfie
I just had so much fun out there. It was a great experience.
"It was so fun to do this at the pinnacle of our careers," she continued. "The guy is great. He's the greatest of all time. There's a reason why he is so great.
"He has a killer serve. I've watched him all the time but I never realised how good it was. Maybe I could get some tips from him later on."
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'I'm sad it's over!' - Serena and Federer give charming interview after unique match
The pair had mutual appreciation for each other, particularly when it came to their serves.
"I see why they talk about [her serve] - you just can’t read it," Federer said. "I couldn’t read yours either!" Serena added in response.
"It was great fun. I really enjoyed playing against Serena. What an honour," said Federer.
I was nervous returning because people talk about her serve so much. I know why they say it now, she has a wonderful serve.
"She's a great champion, you see how focused she is and I love that about her."
Earlier in the day, Federer beat Tiafoe 6-4 6-1, while Williams overcame Belinda Bencic 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the two singles rubbers.
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Highlights: Serena beats Bencic in Hopman Cup
The much-celebrated mixed-doubles contest secured a 2-1 win for Switzerland in the round-robin tie.
As a result of the win, Switzerland progress through to the final on Saturday, while the USA will next take on Great Britain.
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Highlights: Federer tops Tiafoe in Hopman Cup
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