Hopman Cup 2017: Rusty Nick Kyrgios posts a win as Australia loses to Spain

AUSTRALIA’S Nick Kyrgios and Daria Gavrilova lost to Spain in their first Hopman Cup 2017 tie that went down to the mixed doubles last night.

The 2016 Hopman Cup champions lost 4-0 4-2 against Feliciano Lopez and Lara Arruabarrena.

In the first match of the night at Perth Arena, Kyrgios beat Lopez 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour but said he was not confident going in to the match against the world number 28.

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Kyrgios started strong in the first set winning the first three games before the Spaniard won his next three service matches.

Lopez won the first game of the second set, which went on serve until Kyrgios broke Spain’s serve to lead 3-2.

“I wasn’t expecting that to be honest because I was a bit rusty,” Kyrgios said after the match.

“I was really happy with the way I played.”

Kyrgios said he spent most of his off-season in the gym and had not played any sets on court.

“There’s so much tennis to be played in the next few months so I was doing lots of work in the gym and rehabbing,” Kyrgios said.

He said strapping just below his knee was from an incident playing basketball a few days before, not from an injury.

Despite showing signs of her trademark comeback in the first set, Gavrilova lost to Arruabarrena 7-5 6-1 in her singles rubber.

The Australian was down 0-3 in the first set and managed to hit her way back to 5-5 before the Spaniard won the final two games securing the set.

Gavrilova won her first serve in the second set but that would be the only game she would get on the board.

Australia plays the Czech Republic on Tuesday night.