The US tennis player Mardy Fish paved the way for its team to reach the final of the Hopman Cup for the fifth time, as he defeated Australian Peter Luczak 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (12-10).

As he fired 25 aces to save set points, Fish needed six match points to prevail after the he saved three shots of the Australian to send the match into a third and deciding set. Luczak is aiming to be in the top 50 players ranked this season.

"It was a great match - those tiebreakers could have gone either," Fish said. "I could have lost in straight sets. Peter really makes you work."

Serena Williams, who managed to arrive at the Cup after she was ill, also sealed the US team’s spot in the final that will take place on Friday, as she beat Australian Alicia Molik 6-2, 7-6 (9-7), eliminating the hosts from the final day.

The four-time champion Americans last won the tournament in 2003, when again Williams and her teammate, James Blake, swept away their opponents.

"My serve was working really well," she said. "I'm so proud of it. It's really exciting. I hope I can keep serving like this over the next weeks [of the Australian Open]."

The American broke Molik in the first set and won the 85 minutes match after the Australian saved a first match point in the concluding game

Group A of the event was being decided later, as Serbia played against Taiwan and France faced Argentina, which is the only one out of the race for the trophy.

"Serbia [with the world number three pair of Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic] is the obvious favourite," Fish declared for the journalists.