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Federer takes Swiss into Hopman Cup final

Roger Federer ensured Switzerland would have the chance to defend their Hopman Cup title with a straight-sets win over Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas at the mixed teams tournament in Perth Thursday.

Federer takes Swiss into Hopman Cup final
zhukovsky/depositphotos

The 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) win by the 20-time Grand Slam champion in his men's singles match gave the Swiss a 1-0 lead in their Group B encounter, but also meant they were guaranteed a spot in Saturday's final despite eventually losing the tie.

In the women's singles, Maria Sakkari levelled the tie with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Belinda Bencic, before the Greeks won the deciding mixed doubles in three sets.

Bencic and Federer beat the German pairing of Angelique Kerber and Alexander Zverev in last year's decider, and there is a strong likelihood it will be the exact same pairing on Saturday, which would be a first for the tournament in what is expected to be its last year.

The 37-year-old Federer kept his unbeaten record this week intact against the 15th-ranked Tsitsipas, but there was little between the pair in both sets.

Federer found himself down 4-1 in the first set tie-break, but fought back and was handed a set point by a double fault for Tsitsipas, which the Swiss champion converted with an ace.

A delightful drop shot set up three match points in the second tie-break, and Federer took the second of those to close out the rubber.

Federer, who won his first Hopman title back in 2001 with Martina Hingis, was delighted to be able to guide the Swiss into another final.

“I'm very happy, the goal was always to get to the finals,” he said.

“On top of that, I am playing well and it was an exciting match against Stefanos.

“I thought Stefanos came out and played a great match and so did I.

“Very little unforced errors, it was very good quality tennis, it could easily have gone three sets.”

– Clean sweep for Serena –

Earlier in the day, Serena Williams declined to speak to the media after completing a clean sweep of her Hopman singles matches.

The winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams was made to work a little harder than expected by young Brit Katie Boulter in the United States' final group tie, but prevailed in straight sets to make it three victories from as many outings as she prepares for the upcoming Australian Open.

Brits Boulter and Cameron Norrie won the tie 2-1 after clinching the deciding mixed doubles, but dual Hopman winners Williams and Frances Tiafoe had lost their opening two ties and were already out of contention.

Williams' 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) win over the 97th-ranked Boulter followed wins over Bencic and Sakkari earlier in the week.

Currently ranked 16th, Williams needs just one more Grand Slam singles title to equal the record of Australian Margaret Court, but hasn't won since the Australian Open in 2017.

She gave birth to her first daughter in late 2017 and was beaten in the Wimbledon and US Open finals last year.

It was at the latter that she had a major meltdown during her loss to Naomi Osaka in the decider.

With the Australian Open in Melbourne less than two weeks away, Williams dropped just one set in her singles matches, although at different times she seemed to be troubled by a right shoulder problem and she had both ankles strapped throughout the week.

In the men's singles, the struggling Tiafoe led 5-3 in the first set, but won just one more game in losing 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 to Norrie.

The Brits won the mixed doubles and Williams wasted little time departing the building, bypassing the usual post-match interviews.

For members

SWITZERLAND EXPLAINED

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

Have you heard of Schwingen? Switzerland's national sport involves jute shorts, sawdust, and a whole lot of wrestling,

Everything you need to know about Schwingen in Switzerland

While relatively unknown outside of Switzerland, and largely concentrated in the country’s German-speaking cantons, Schwingen is Switzerland’s homegrown form of wrestling.

In a sawdust ring, two competitors aim to throw each other onto their backs, with both shoulders touching the ground. Each time this is achieved, a point is awarded to the victor.

All this throwing is achieved by grabbing the leather belt attached to the jute shorts worn by the combatants.

As simple as this sounds, there are several styles of Schwingen and hundreds of recorded holds and grips. Size and strength play a significant role in Schwingen, but flexibility cannot be discounted as a factor in determining a champion. 

A proud history 

Like any martial art, the origins of Schwingen are lost to history, but it’s safe to say that just like the Schuhplattler of neighbouring Bavaria – that’s the slappy lederhosen dance – it’s been around for thousands of years, practised by mountain tribes, and later shepherds tending mountain flocks.

The first depictions in art date from the 13th century and the first written records from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century, when local church authorities sought to crack down on the rowdy celebrations that these competitions were associated with.

Indeed, Schwingen was massively restricted for hundreds of years, under the fear that it was leading to drunkenness and all manner of other sinning. The large majority of Schwingen meets at this time took place in isolated areas, far from prying eyes. 

All of this changed with the arrival of industrialization, railways and tourism. With many flocking to rural Switzerland for the beauty of outdoor spaces and quaint local customs, Schwingen was brought back to the cities by fascinated spectators and became so popular that it needed to be codified and organized to regulate it.

To this end, the Schwingerverbandes, or Federal Wrestling Association was founded in 1895.

Read More: Schwingen: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s ‘national sport’

More popular than ever 

Schwingen is now a very popular sport within Switzerland, practised by a dedicated core of amateurs and professionals, and watched by far, far more,

Experiencing a further boom throughout the 20th century, boosted by broadcast media, it became mass entertainment. It’s a televised sport, revolving around several key meets, at the canton and federal levels. In addition to youth Schwingen, there have been women’s competitions since 1980.

The Federal Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival is the apogee of competitive Schwingen, held every three years – think of it like a Swiss Olympics. The next will be in Glarnerland in 2025. 

Another massive event for Schwingen fans is the Unspunnenfest, held every twelve years in Interlaken. The next of these will be held in 2029.

Crowned in 2022, Joel Wicki from the canton of Luzern is the current Swiss Schwingen champion. Topping out at just over six feet, and weighing in at 110kg, he’s far from the biggest contestants – but then again, it’s not always strength that matters in a Schwingen bout. 

Want to get involved? 

While Schwingen isn’t exactly the kind of thing that international visitors generally involve themselves in, there is a fully packed calendar of events throughout the year for spectators.

These range from indoor events in the winter months, to the larger outdoor competitions during the summer. You can find out more on the Federal Wrestling Association’s website.

You can also track Schwingen competitions, and find out where to watch them on TV or online, via Sport.ch.

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