The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Petrova dethrones Henin-Hardenne

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Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

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Petrova dethrones Henin-Hardenne

UPSTAGING THE NUMERO UNO: Russia's Nadia Petrova, who defeated World No. 1 and Olympic champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium. — AP

NEW YORK, SEPT. 7. Justine Henin-Hardenne lost her U.S. Open title and her No. 1 ranking on Monday night.

The defending champion was upset by Nadia Petrova 6-3, 6-2 in the fourth round, the earliest exit by the Open's top-seeded woman since Billie Jean King quit because of illness during her third-round match in 1973.

``I never felt good in this tournament. I never felt free in my head. I never felt 100 per cent in the court,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ``It wasn't my day and she played well. She took the opportunities, and it was hard for me.''

Unforced errors

The Belgian was hurt by what's normally her most consistent and dangerous shot: her one-handed backhand. She missed three crucial shots on that side: on the final point of the first set, and on the last point of each of the two games when Petrova broke her in the second set, to 2-1 and to 5-2.

She finished with 30 unforced errors and just 14 winners — a mere three with her backhand. The 14th-seeded Petrova, meanwhile, played attacking tennis and won the point on 19 of 28 trips to the net.

On the men's side, a big-name showdown is looming in the quarterfinals: Andre Agassi vs. Roger Federer.

Agassi advanced with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over pal and occasional practice partner Sargis Sargsian, who was on court for nearly 10 hours in his previous two outings. This one took 90 minutes.

Federer's opponent, No. 16 Andrei Pavel, pulled out with a bad back.

``There's nothing more you ask for than to play a big event against the best player in this environment,'' Agassi said. ``It's time to bring the best tennis.''

Pierce bows out

Mary Pierce's U.S. Open run came to an end when she was beaten 7-6, 6-2 in the fourth round by Russian ninth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

In the first meeting between the two players, the former Australian and French Open champion matched the hard-hitting Kuznetsova in the opening set before losing a tense tiebreak.

But the 29-year-old was overpowered in the second set by an opponent 10 years her junior.

Kuznetsova clinched victory after one hour 23 minutes to advance to the quarterfinals where she will meet Petrova.

``At the moment, Russian tennis is doing so well. We're all so young,'' Petrova said.

She's 22 and has never won a tour title. Kuznetsova is 19 and owns three titles.

``I know her, she's a good friend of mine,'' Petrova said. ``It'll be a good opportunity for one of us to make the semifinals.''

Also in the quarterfinals is Lindsay Davenport, who pulled out a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Venus Williams.

Absorbing climax

Seven major titles and 49 weeks at No. 1 between them, Davenport and Williams swapped powerful strokes and anxious moments in a final act encompassing 24 points over 13 minutes Monday.

Nine deuces. Five break points for 2000-01 Open champion Williams. Five match points for 1998 Open champ Davenport.

``A tough one to get through,'' said Davenport, who next meets 62nd-ranked Shinobu Asagoe, who upset Eleni Daniilidou 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-3.

``I wanted to win so badly, and I played such a great, calm match until that point, and then let a few errors creep in.''

She and Amelie Mauresmo both have a chance to replace Henin-Hardenne at No. 1, because of the Belgian's exit.

Henin-Hardenne missed most of the past five months with a viral illness. She was out about six weeks, then played at the French Open and lost in the second round, matching the quickest exit by that tournament's defending champion.

After nearly another three months off, she came back at the Olympics and won the gold medal.

None too happy times

Venus Williams needs to recapture the drive that carried her to four Slam titles, none since 2001. She had quick exits at the Australian Open (third round), French Open (quarterfinals) and Wimbledon (second round) this year. She missed the second half of last season, including the Open, with a torn abdominal muscle, and had to deal with the shooting death of half-sister Yetunde in September 2003.

``I'm really disappointed (about) all this year's Grand Slams. But I've learned that the position that I'm in is not necessarily my fault,'' Williams said. ``I can't be hard on myself.''

She raised her play in that fantastic final game, with Davenport serving at 5-4. Williams also raised the volume, grunting louder and louder with each shot, a sharp contrast to Davenport's soft exhales. Davenport played impeccably until then, never facing a break point and trailing on her serve just once: at love-15 in the second set's fourth game.

Davenport broke Williams for a 6-5 lead in the first set, and 3-2 in the second.

In the final game, they went back and forth, with Williams swatting two winners to get her first break point, wasted with a forehand return long. On the first match point, a 12-stroke exchange ended with Williams' forehand winner. Davenport ceded her second match point by double-faulting, then turned and chatted to herself.

``I felt OK until I lost the second match point,'' Davenport said. ``Then you get a little like: 'Oh, no. Don't do this.''' — Agencies

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