Djokovic beats Hewitt as Serbia boost Hopman Cup hopes

Novak Djokovic was in dominant form as he beat home favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the Hopman Cup.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Novak Djokovic beats Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets in Hopman Cup in Perth
Djokovic helps Serbia to a 3-0 win over Australia in the team competition
Jarmila Groth upsets top seed Samantha Stosur in Brisbane International
Yanina Wickmayer beats former world no.1 Dinara Safina in Auckland

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(CNN) -- Novak Djokovic swept aside Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets as Serbia beat hosts Australia 3-0 in their Hopman Cup clash in Perth on Tuesday.

World number three Djokovic is in action for the first time since leading Serbia to their Davis Cup triumph and once again both he and his country are proving tough to beat in a team competition.

Former women's world number one Ana Ivanovic gave Serbia a fine start in the round robin match with a 6-4 6-0 thrashing of Alicia Molik before Djokovic showed his mettle.

The world number three was equally convincing against the Australian number one, dispatching Hewitt 6-2 6-4 in 89 minutes.

He then paired with Ivanovic as they beat Molik and Hewitt in the mixed doubles, 6-7 7-5 7-6.

It leaves Serbia with two wins from two matches after the Hopman Cup top seeds thrashed Kazakhstan 3-0 in their opener.

Earlier at the Burswood Dome, another former women's world number one, Justine Henin, showed she is finding form after a injury layoff as she led Belgium to a 3-0 win over the Kazaks.

Henin made it two wins from two singles matches with a convincing 6-4 6-3 win over Sesil Karatantcheva.

Belgium's Ruben Bemelmans then upset world number 36 Andrey Golubev with a straight sets win, 6-4 6-4, to keep them in the hunt for Saturday's final after an opening defeat to Australia.

Henin and Bemelmans paired to complete the whitewash in the mixed doubles.

In the Brisbane International tournament, the shocks continued as Jarmila Groth beat top seed Samatha Stosur 6-2 6-4.

The all-Australian clash lasted 78 minutes and Groth, a 23-year-old from Melbourne faces either compatriot Jelena Dokic or German Andrea Petkovic in the quarterfinals of the WTA event.

In the men's ATP tournament at the same venue, top seed Robin Soderling came safely through his first round match, the Swede dispatching American teenager Ryan Harrison 6-2 6-4.

It sets up a clash with German Michael Berrer.

But third seed Fernando Verdasco crashed out to Benjamin Becker of Germany 6-1 6-7 6-3 in just over two hours of action on the Pat Rafter Arena.

At the WTA tournament in Auckland last year's winner, Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium, battled past former world number one Dinara Safina of Russia, 6-3 6-7 6-1.

Maria Sharapova is top seed in the event and the pair could meet in the final.