PERTH, Australia -- Venus Williams and John Isner led the United States to a 2-1 victory over South Africa at the Hopman Cup mixed team competition Sunday. Williams rallied to defeat 60th-ranked Chanelle Scheepers 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. After Kevin Anderson beat Isner 7-6 (0), 7-6 (5), the match came down to mixed doubles. Williams and Isner beat the South Africans 6-3, 6-2 to clinch victory. Williams took some time to settle in against an opponent who rallied well and hit the ball deep. Scheepers broke Williams at love to serve for the first set. But after that, the seven-time Grand Slam champion looked increasingly comfortable and began to play more aggressively. Williams clinched the second set when Scheepers double-faulted. She then won the first four games of the third. Williams was playing for the first time since winning at Luxembourg in mid-October. "I was just trying to find some rhythm out there," she said. "Shes obviously a really good player having maintained a top-40, top-50 ranking the last couple of years. She played a match yesterday, too, so had an extra advantage. It felt good out there. "Im not expecting to be perfect now, but Im thinking that my game will get better every match. I think the doubles will help as well to hone everything. More than anything I was just so excited to be out there playing, and Im ready to go for it." In the late contest, Spain beat France 2-1 after Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues teamed up with to win the mixed doubles against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mathilde Johansson. Tsonga put France ahead when he beat Verdasco 7-5, 6-3 in the singles, and Medina Garrigues levelled by overcoming Mathilde Johansson 6-3, 6-2. Tsonga saved three set points before going up 1-0. He then broke three times in the second set and closed out the match on his fourth match point. "It was not easy at the beginning," Tsonga said. "He played well. Then I wake up and played a lot better and it was a good match for me, to win the first match of the season. The first one is always tough. You have to be really focused. The best part of my game was that I moved pretty well today." Medina Garrigues was rarely under pressure against Johansson, breaking to lead 4-3 and then taking the opening set when Johansson hit a double-fault on break point. Three consecutive breaks of serve in the second set left the Spaniard leading 3-1, and she broke once more at love to claim victory. On Monday, top-ranked Novak Djokovic and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic represent Serbia against the Italian team of Andreas Seppi and Francesca Schiavone. Andrea Petkovic, who retired with a right knee injury after winning the first set against Australias Ashleigh Barty on Saturday, has withdrawn from the competition and will be replaced by Tatjana Malek for Germanys remaining contests against Italy and Serbia. 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ONeal, who has been in the league since 1996, played in 25 games for the Boston Celtics last season and averaged 5. wholesale jerseys from china . She knew right then that she wanted to reach the same height in womens bobsled. Upperton achieved her goal nearly two years later and would go on to put the Canadian womens team on the map. PHOENIX -- Things are going so well for the Washington Nationals that Jesus Flores even threw out a runner trying to steal second. When he nailed Stephen Drew in the fourth inning on Saturday night, it was the fifth time he had thrown out a base runner trying to steal in 50 attempts. In retrospect, it was a big play as the Nationals stretched their season-best winning streak to eight games with a 6-5 victory over the sloppy Arizona Diamondbacks. Flores singled in the final and what proved to be the deciding run in Washingtons five-run fifth inning. Jayson Werth and Michael Morse each had an RBI double and Ryan Zimmerman drove in two with a single in the uprising, a rally aided by two Arizona errors and a wild pitch by Diamondbacks starter Wade Miley (12-8). "It was a mess," said Arizona catcher Miguel Montero, who committed one of the miscues. "It was a bad inning." Flores is well aware that, while the Nationals have excelled in virtually all other departments, their failure to throw out runners attempting to steal has been a glaring weakness. Not that he is entirely, or even mostly, to blame, because Washingtons starters are notoriously bad at keeping runners from taking off. "I know people outside, they think different stuff," Flores said, "but its been really hard for me being back there and not have the time or the chance to throw those guys out. Tonight I knew at any point that guy was going to take off. Even though it was a slider pitcher, I got a good release, and for the first time in a while, I got him out." Aaron Hill homered and Justin Upton doubled twice for the Diamondbacks, losers of the first two of the series and six of eight overall. Edwin Jackson (7-7) got the win despite giving up five runs and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings. "The runs we scored definitely backed up a bad outing by me," he said. "I guess it was just good enough to keep us close. The bullpen came in and did a good job, as always. We were able to get a win. It wasnt necessarily the way that I planned for it to go, but somehow it worked." Tyler Clippard threw a perfect ninth for his 24th save in 28 tries. The Nationals, with a major league-best 71-43 record, stayed 4 1-2 games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East. Arizona dropped five games behind first-place San Francisco in the NL West. Miley went 4 1-3 innings, his shortest outing since June 30, and gave up six runs -- four earned -- and nine hits.dddddddddddd "It is very frustrating," he said. "You go out and the team gives you four runs, early. It is on me. I couldnt keep the lead. It got ugly out there. It was a merry go round and I couldnt put an end to it." The rookie left-hander was cruising with a 4-1 lead when things fell apart. Steve Lombardozzi led off the fifth with a bunt single, took second on Jacksons sacrifice bunt, and scored when Werth doubled to right. Third baseman Chris Johnson couldnt handle Espinosas sharp grounder, the ball careening off his glove into the outfield grass for an error that left runners at second and third. Zimmerman followed with a single that brought home both runners to tie the game 4-4. Zimmerman took second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on the play when the catcher Montero threw wildly past second. Morses double brought in Zimmerman to put the Nationals ahead 5-4. Miley walked Adam LaRoche and was finished for the night, but the Nationals werent. Brad Bergeson got Tyler Moore to line out to centre, but Flores singled in Morse to boost the lead to 6-4. Two of Washingtons runs in the inning were unearned. Arizona cut it to 6-5 in the sixth when Gerardo Parra singled with one out and scored on Ryan Wheelers pinch-hit double off the centre field wall. While Washington had just one base runner, on a walk, in the final four innings, the Diamondbacks threatened in the seventh and eighth. Hill led off the seventh with a double but Kubel struck out, then Paul Goldschmidt and Upton grounded out. Washington reliever Michael Gonzalez walked two of the first three he faced in the eighth. But pinch hitter Jake Elmore flied out in his major league debut, and Drew struck out. Notes: The Nationals improved to 39-21 on the road, by far the best in the majors. ... With LHP Mike Zagurski designated for assignment on Saturday, Arizona has no left-hander in the bullpen. ... A serious dust storm swept through downtown Phoenix during the game, some sifting through the cracks of Chase Field. ... Washington improved to 10-2 in August, best in the majors. ... Miley is 3-4 in his last seven starts. ... A pair of left-handers go in the series finale on Sunday, rookie Patrick Corbin (3-4, 3.53 ERA) for Arizona, and Ross Detwiler (6-4, 2.99) taking the mound for the Nationals. ' ' '