Perth WA, Australia, 3 January 2017 | AAP

Australia will be aiming to keep their Hopman Cup title defence alive when they take on the lowly-ranked Czech Republic at Perth Arena on Tuesday night.

The host nation suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Spain on Sunday when Daria Gavrilova lost her singles match, and Australia slumped to defeat in the live mixed doubles.

Nick Kyrgios was in hot form in a 6-3 6-4 win over Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, and he’ll be aiming to repeat the dose against Adam Pavlasek.

Gavrilova, who looked out of sorts in a 7-5 6-1 defeat to Spain’s Lara Arruabarrena, will take on Lucie Hradecka.

Australia will need to beat both the Czech Republic and USA if they are to reach Saturday’s final.

Kyrgios is optimistic he and Gavrilova can still reach the decider, and he said overcoming the adversity of a first-up loss would make it even more special.

The Czech Republic feature the lowest-ranked players in the tournament; Hradecka is 166th in the world, while Pavlasek is ranked 75th.

In contrast, Kyrgios boasts a world ranking of 13, while Gavrilova is 25th following her 2016 campaign.

Australia have only won the Hopman Cup on two previous ocassions, and Kyrgios is keen to add another title to that record.

For all tournament information, visit hopmancup.com.