Justine Henin-Hardenne dazzles her way into the Wimbledon Ladies Final
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 6, 2006 | Print |
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Justine Henin-Hardenne has advanced to her third Grand Slam final of the year with a decisive straight sets victory over her countrywoman Kim Clijsters.
Clijsters broke for the early lead at 3-all, but Henin-Hardenne came back to break Clijsters’ serve twice to take the first set 6-4 in just thirty-seven minutes.
The second set started with Clijsters gaining the break for a 2-1 lead, but once again, Justine Henin-Hardenne came from behind, and won the match in a tiebreak, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
I was really looking forward to a tougher match between the two Belgians, but my earlier suspicions on Clijsters’ lack of confidence were confirmed. Even after grabbing the early breaks over Henin-Hardenne, Kim was not able to capitalize on her effort. Throughout the match she seemed timid and did not play with the determined aggressiveness that we have come to expect from the 2005 US Open champion. She hardly ever advanced to the net during the match, which could have definitely given her a chance against Henin-Hardenne. You simply cannot beat a player as effective at the net as Justine if you are playing behind the baseline.
Justine Henin-Hardenne will await the winner of the Amelie Mauresmo/Maria Sharapova semifinal in Saturday’s Championship match.
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