|
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
01-27-2006, 10:20 AM
|
|||
|
|||
Henin-Hardenne, Mauresmo into Open final
Henin-Hardenne, Mauresmo into Open final Melbourne, Jan 26: Amelie Mauresmo reached her first Grand Slam final in seven years when Kim Clijsters retired from their Australian Open semifinal today, ending the prospect of an all-Belgian final with Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Henin-Hardenne, the 2004 champion, beat Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the first semifinal. WTA championship winner Mauresmo was leading second-seeded Clijsters 5-7, 6-2, 3-2 and 15-love when the Belgian withdrew because of an injured right ankle. After breaking Mauresmo to get back on serve in the third set and then holding game point at 40-0 in the fifth game, Clijsters let Mauresmo back in with two unforced errors and a double-fault. Facing a breakpoint, she stumbled when wrong-footed on the baseline and fell onto the court. She had her ankle heavily taped in the changeover and only played one more point before retiring. "We had such a great battle... It`s a little bit of an unfinished match, but that`s the way it is sometimes," said Mauresmo. "I just hope she`s going to get better." US Open champion Clijsters, who took over as No. 1 in women`s tennis when she beat Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, was bothered by hip and back injuries throughout the tournament. Henin-Hardenne, seeking a fifth Grand Slam singles title, is on a 13-match winning stretch at Melbourne Park going into the final. She beat Clijsters in the final here in 2004 but was unable to defend the title because injuries kept her out of the tournament. Mauresmo has not returned to a Grand Slam final since losing the 1999 Australian Open decider to Hingis. Her best performance in the meantime was four appearances in semifinals, although she did have a breakthrough win at the season-ending WTA championship in November, including a round-robin win over Clijsters. Every point between Henin-Hardenne and Sharapova was a struggle, and one good shot was rarely enough. Despite the long rallies, with both players racing from sideline to sideline, each produced some outstanding defensive pickups and strong, clean winners. "I think we played a great match. It was very intense physically, especially in the first set," said Henin-Hardenne, who hit 22 winners to 17 for Sharapova. "I`m very happy to be in the final again." As she did in her quarterfinal win over top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, Henin-Hardenne took a set to really get going. In the second, she never allowed the increasingly discouraged Sharapova to hold serve. When she broke to go up 4-1, a fan yelled, "You`ve got her Justine!" he was right. Sharapova looked toward her father and coach, Yuri Sharapov, after nearly every point as her game went downhill, shouting to him after Henin-Hardenne broke her to go ahead 4-2 in the last set. The usually confident Sharapova looked tight and unsettled, whacking the ball into the net after mistakes and kicking it one time. She stared in disbelief for several seconds after missing an easy forehand volley in the fourth game. Sharapova pumped her fist after breaking Henin-Hardenne -- who was serving for the match -- to get back on serve at 4-5 in the third set. But the woman who has credited her mental toughness for getting her through big matches then collapsed in a string of three consecutive backhand errors in the next game. Henin-Hardenne sealed the 2-hour, 26-minute semifinal on her first match point with one of her trademark one-handed backhand winners down the line. Sharapova, the 2004 Wimbledon champion, reached the semis at the three of the four grand slams last season and lost to the eventual champion at all four. She lost to Serena Williams here in the semis and to Henin-Hardenne in the French Open quarterfinals. "I`ll be seeing headlines: Maria can`t get past the semis; Maria can`t last the third set," Sharapova said. But, "I think it was a good match. I didn`t come in the best prepared ... Without many matches, to be able to play the quality of tennis I was able to play today is a big plus." Henin-Hardenne returned from two months out with an injured right hamstring to win the Sydney International the week before the open. She is now 10-0 this season. Bureau Report 
|
|
| Bookmarks |
| Thread Tools | |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
| Open the code, please: open source application | shailesh123 | news | 0 | 02-12-2006 05:33 AM |
| Roger Federer wins Australian Open | shailesh123 | news | 0 | 01-29-2006 10:28 PM |
| Leander Paes and Maryin Damm in final - Australian Open | shailesh123 | news | 0 | 01-27-2006 10:19 AM |
Linear Mode
