Justine Henin Leads Main Draw at Sydney’s Medibank International

World No. 1 Justine Henin returns to Australia for the first time in two years this week at the 2008 Medibank International.

Leading Sydney’s field which includes seven Top 10 players, Henin arrives at the tournament on a twenty-five match winning streak.

World No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova is seeded second behind Henin, followed by an injured Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic, Anna Chakvetadze, Daniela Hantuchova, Marion Bartoli, and Elena Dementieva. The top four seeds received a bye for the first round.

At press time Jankovic was still listed in the draw, but it would hardly be a surprise if she withdraws from the tournament after injuring her thigh at the Hopman Cup. Jankovic put her participation in the Australian Open, and even her future career on the line last week to propel Serbia into the final, only to come up short against Team USA in the deciding mixed doubles match with Novak Djokovic.

Justine Henin will open her title pursuit against Alicia Molik or Lucie Safarova. Safarova played the best tennis of her career in Australia last season, and upset defending Australian Open champion Amelie Mauresmo in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.

Although a focused Safarova could pose a tough challenge, especially as she (unlike Henin) has had plenty of time to adjust to the new Plexicushion courts, Henin is the favorite to emerge out of the top half of the draw. The last time Justine lost before reaching the semifinals of a tournament was her second round upset at the 2006 NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami.

Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, and Ana Ivanovic are locked in a tough race for the No. 2 ranking behind Henin. Justine is so far ahead of the trio that it appears likely that she will remain in the top spot for several months, especially as she has zero points to defend until February.

If Jankovic does make the trip to Sydney, she will play a qualifier or Tatiana Golovin in the second round. Ivanovic, who has family in the area, has already spent time adjusting to the new court conditions and will open against Virginie Razzano or Australian veteran Nicole Pratt.

Kuznetsova is scheduled to play a qualifier, or in what could be a highly competitive match, Israel’s Shahar Peer. They have only met three times in the past, but Peer holds a 2-1 lead.

Other first round matches to watch include last minute wild card Nadia Petrova vs. Sybille Bammer, Daniela Hantuchova vs. Dinara Safina, and Marion Bartoli vs. 2008 Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts champion Na Li.

The Tier II Medibank International will be held at the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre from January 6-12. The main draw features twenty-eight singles players and sixteen doubles teams competing for $600,000 in prize money. For more information, visit www.medibankinternational.au.

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