Tennis: Australians need a double-take

Wally Masur and Nicole Provis won a decisive doubles rubber to knock Sweden out of the Hopman Cup mixed teams' tournament on home soil in Perth. The Australian pair beat Mikael Pernfors and Catarina Lindqvist 6-3 7-5 after the tie had been deadlocked at 1-1 following the singles matches. Provis had given the hosts a flying start in the women's singles with a 7-6 6-1 victory over Lindqvist, who had a baby in June and hardly played in 1993. Pernfors, who made great strides on the men's circuit last year, squared the match with a 6-4 6-4 win over Masur in the men's. In the doubles, the Australians capitalised on the Swedish pair's unfamiliarity to race into a 5-0 lead in the first set. However, the second set was closer - until Lindqvist dropped her serve in the 11th game. Australia, seeded fifth in the tournament, now face the fourth-seeded French pair Cedric Pioline and Nathalie Tauziat in the quarter-finals tomorrow.