SportsLine wire reports
Jan. 9, 1999

PERTH, Australia -- Teen-ager Jelena Dokic and Mark Philippoussis led Australia to its first Hopman Cup triumph, a 2-1 victory over Sweden in the final of the $900,000 event.

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15-year-old Dokic started things off with a 6-2, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Asa Carlsson. Dokic overcame a setback midway through the second set when she frittered away three match points at 0-40 on Carlsson's service at 5-3.

CARLSSON WON THAT GAME and broke Dokic, eventually forcing the tiebreaker. The Australian teen squandered three more match points before taking advantage of another Carlsson error to win the set and the match.

This week, Dokic has notched victories over top-ranked players Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and Sandrine Testud. She came to Australia with her parents five years ago from Serbia and quickly became one of the top juniors in the world, winning a tournament in Canberra, Australia, for 18-year-olds when she was just 11.

Philippoussis, who is representing Australia for the first time since walking out on his Davis Cup team almost a year ago, handed Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman his first singles loss this week in a 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) decision to clinch the victory.

The 22-year-old Philippoussis trailed 2-5 in the second set but gained the vital break in the eighth game, then rallied again when he fell behind four points down in the tiebreaker.

IT WAS THE FIRST HOPMAN CUP FINAL for Australia since Pat Cash and Hana Mandlikova lost to Czechoslovakia in the inaugural event in 1989.