PERTH, Australia (AP) Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat former top-ranked junior Kristina Mladenovic 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to give the United States a 1-0 lead over France in its opening Hopman Cup match on Monday.
The 56th-ranked American recovered from dropping the opening set against an opponent ranked 301st, and secured an early break in the second set. Although Mladenovic took the break back, Mattek-Sands continued to disrupt her rhythm and secured the set.
The third set was one-way traffic in favor of the American, who replaced the injured Serena Williams in the tournament field.
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut will contest the second singles match, their first meeting since their record-breaking five-set marathon at Wimbledon last year.