The Hindu : Sport : Henin-Hardenne to meet Mauresmo

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 07, 2006

Sport

Sport

Henin-Hardenne to meet Mauresmo

Nirmal Shekar

Nadal enters the semifinal with yet anoter solid performance

TOUGH CUSTOMER: Justine Henin-Hardenne celebrates her victory over Kim Clijsters in the women's singles semifinals on Thursday. — PHOTO: AP

London: You don't need to dig as deep as Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's ageless, fictional Belgian detective, to have figured this one out.

As fascinating and intriguing as the long rivalry between Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters is, on the big stage they have long since settled into clearly defined roles.

It may not be a Belgian love-fest each time they cross swords in a Grand Slam championship but the X factor has clearly set them apart. One — Henin-Hardenne — has it, the other might quit the game without ever tasting of that elusive elixir.

In the event, engrossing as the semifinal match between Henin-Hardenne and Clijsters was, on Thursday, in the 120th Wimbledon championships, few were surprised when the three-time French Open champion out-slugged the reigning U.S.Open champion 6-4, 7-6(4) in an hour and 30 minutes on the centre court.

It is Henin-Hardenne's first entry into the final here since 2001 when she lost to Venus Williams in three sets. Since then, the little Belgian has come a long way, capturing five Grand Slam titles. A victory on Saturday would earn Henin-Hardenne membership to an elite club as one of a handful of players who have won all the four Slam titles.

Not easy

But it is not going to be easy. For Amelie Mauresmo, the Belgian's opponent in the final, is playing serve-and-volley tennis like sudoku with all the numbers in her pocket. Against a tenacious Maria Sharapova, on Thursday, the Frenchwoman overcame a brief bout of nerves in the second set before winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

Mauresmo was up 3-1 and Sharapova was down 0-40 on serve in the fifth game but the 2004 champion clawed her way back even as the top seed, who has always had trouble closing out matches, faltered.

But the Australian Open champion quickly pulled herself together, opened up a 4-0 lead in the decider, survived a brief slump and then closed out the match to make her first Wimbledon final in seven attempts.

In the event, this much is clear: a new name will be inscribed on the Venus Rosewater Dish on Saturday. "It was tough. I played well on the important points. I did a good job,'' said an ecstatic Henin-Hardenne after her 12th victory over Clijsters in 22 meetings.

But don't be fooled by those statistics. Clijsters has not beaten her countrywoman in a Grand Slam event since January 2002 when she won their quarterfinal match in the Australian Open. They have met five times (including Thursday's match) in Slams since then and every single time Henin-Hardenne has managed to come out on top.

"She played well when she had to,'' said Clijsters. ``That is what she does well. She plays with a lot of confidence.''

That's the X factor, then. Playing well when you need to. Rising to the occasion. These things are not easily accomplished on a big stage.

Sheer chutzpah

But this — ability to turn it on when it matters — is what separates serial Grand Slam champions such as Henin-Hardenne from one Slam wonders. As much as technical skills and tactical nous, it takes something else sheer chutzpah.

These are qualities that Rafael Nadal, too, has showcased in a dazzling exhibition of all court tennis this fortnight. On Thursday, in a men's singles quarterfinal match — one that was originally scheduled for Wednesday but could not be played — against another left-hander, Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, the 20-year Spaniard displayed his new-found confidence and skills on grass to post a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory.

Nadal, seeded two, will play the Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the semifinals on Friday while Roger Federer takes on the Swedish veteran Jonas Bjorkman.

At the start of the tournament, few would have bet on the muscular Spaniard standing within a match victory of playing in a Wimbledon final. But Nadal has been a revelation here. Against the over-matched Finn, the two-time French champion won 13 of 20 points at the net, served with tremendous confidence — he was never broken — and stepped on the pedal when he needed to find the breaks.

"My volleys have improved. I am serving well,'' said Nadal. "It is nice to make the semifinals here. It is new for me.''

It was a lot closer for Henin-Hardenne. After trading early breaks in the first set, the third seed played a pair of good returns in the 10th game before Clijsters double faulted on setpoint.

In the second set, Clijsters, seeded two, was much the better player for the most part. Twice she was up a break, the second time presented with an opportunity to serve for the set and try and knot up the match.

But, once again, the woman who has always found the mental edge elusive against her compatriot came apart when she needed to take charge. A backhand error from Clijsters eased the set into a tiebreak that Henin-Hardenne dominated from the start, finally wrapping up the match with a backhand crosscourt pass.

"There's a lot of tension, lot of pressure,'' said the triumphant Belgian. "But I love these situations.''

Paes & Stosur advance

Earlier in the day, India's Leander Paes, playing alongside Samantha Stosur of Australia, advanced to the mixed doubles quarterfinals, beating Sebastian Prieto of Argentina and Flavia Pennetta of Italian 6-3, 6-2.

But Sania Mirza and her Czech partner Pavel Vizner went down 3-6, 7-5, 2-6 to Daniel Nestor (Canada) and Elena Likhovtseva (Russia).

THE RESULTS

Prefix denotes seeding

Quarterfinals: Men: Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) bt 14-Radek Stepanek (Cze) 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 6-4; 18-Marcos Baghdatis (Cyp) bt 6-Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-2; 2-Rafael Nadal (Esp) bt 22-Jarkko Nieminen (Fin) 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles: Martin Damm (Cze) & 7-Leander Paes (Ind) bt Paul Hanley (Aus) & 4-Kevin Ullyett (Zim) 7-6(8), 6-7(5), 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 6-2.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport