Justine Henin-Hardenne Outlasts Martina Hingis in Her First Round Robin at Madrid
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 7, 2006 | Print
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Justine Henin-Hardenne grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the Sony Ericsson WTA Championships with a tough 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over Martina Hingis.
Martina Hingis, who has struggled against top players all season, was not able to figure out a way to compensate for the skill of Justine Henin-Hardenne today in Madrid. The Swiss Miss found herself in a difficult position when the draw was selected, placing her in the yellow group with Amelie Mauresmo, Henin-Hardenne, and Nadia Petrova.
Heading into the tournament, Justine was my pick to reach the final, along with Maria Sharapova. She performed well today, but was still not at a peak level, similar to her main competition for the number one ranking, Amelie Mauresmo and Maria Sharapova. Henin-Hardenne had a chance to end the match on her serve at 5-3 in the second set, but Martina broke Henin-Hardenne to force a tiebreak, which Hingis won 6-7 (5).
It looked as it Hingis would have a chance to score an upset over the world number three, but after a rough start, Henin-Hardenne managed to step up her game. After almost two hours of match play, she finally sealed the victory 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1.
I’m looking forward to reading the post-match press conferences to see how well Henin-Hardenne’s knee held up under the rigors of today’s match. The match did not end until almost midnight Madrid time, but she will have a day off before her next rubber.
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