Slovakia eye Hopman Cup final

The Slovak Republic are on the verge of their fourth appearance in the Hopman Cup final after upsetting the host nation 2-1 yesterday. The Slovaks, winners of the mixed teams tournament in 1998 and 2005, were seeded seventh but beat top seeds USA on Monday and remained unbeaten by snatching the Group A tie against the Australians in the mixed doubles. Victory over Germany on Thursday will guarantee the Slovaks a place in Friday's final.