Henin in line for Gulf double - 網球

Henin in line for Gulf double

http://myurl.com.tw/th6f

By Anil John

JUSTINE Henin moved one step closer to a Gulf double yesterday, but more than
a title win, will be itching to put the record straight at the Qatar Total
Open. Henin fell in the semifinals in 2004 to Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova
and with both players advancing to today's title clash, the Belgian is handed
a golden opportunity for revenge.

Yesterday, the top seeded Belgian defeated Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-7 (5/7),
6-2, 6-4, while Kuznetsova, the second seed, ousted Slovakian Daniela
Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2. Kuznetsova, too, has some extra motivation beside the
222,000 dollar top prize as she will be aiming to become the fourth Russian to
win the Doha title.

Martina Hingis and Monica Seles are the only non-Russians to triumph in Doha
– winning in 2001 and 2002 – when the Qatar Open was Tier Three event
offering a total prize fund of 170,000 dollars. But things have changed swiftly
over the years and the event's increasing profile on the international circuit
has coincided with the emergence of an army of Russian women who have taken
the game by storm. They have stamped their supremacy on the Qatar event so
much that the event has been won five times by Russians, including two
consecutive titles by Anastasia Myskina in 2003 and 2004. Current World No. 1
Maria Sharapova won in 2005 and Nadia Petrova followed suit last year.

However, the presence of Henin in this year's final means things won't be that
easy for Kuznetsova. Henin has dominated Kuztensova to such an extent over the
past that she has won 13 of their 14 meetings, her only loss coming in 2004
in Qatar. Henin showed characteristic grit and determination coming through
two gruelling matches against Patty Schnyder on Thursday and Jankovic
yesterday. What makes her more dangerous is that she won despite not playing
at her best and on the slow rebound ace court which doesn't suit her aggressive
style of play.

“It was a tough match,” said Henin. “But I need these kind of matches to
get my game up to the level I want. I don't mind spending a long time on the
court.” The match saw as many as 16 service breaks over the three sets with
seven of them coming consecutively in the decider. As in the quarter-finals,
Henin was a trifle lucky, as Jankovic struggled with her movement in the third
set because of the ankle injury that forced her to concede her semi-final match
to Amelie Mauresmo in Dubai last week.

Jankovic played with her ankle strapped, but during the first and second sets
didn't show any signs of discomfort, matching the top seed shot for shot in
cold and windy conditions. With Doha battered by a severe sandstorm throughout
the day, there were doubts about the matches starting as scheduled. But the
storm cleared in the evening and although there was still some dust flying
around in the cold wind, the centre court was almost packed, with several
people braving the conditions.

Henin was also bothered by the conditions. “It was very difficult out there
especially because I wear contact lenses and it's a problem when the sand gets
into the eyes,” she said.

Jankovic, the winner in Auckland and finalist in Sydney this year, was broken
in the very first game by Henin, but the Serb hit back in the eighth game to
pull level. The players traded breaks again before heading into the tie-breaker
which Jankovic won, but not before Henin had clawed back from 0-4 down to win
five points. Henin then had a relatively easy second set, breaking Jankovic
three times and staying alive in the match. “I was in command in the second
set,” said Henin. “My game really gave me confidence.” The decider saw the
first three games going with serve, but amazingly the next seven games ended
in breaks.

Jankovic needed to hold serve in the 10th game to stay in the match but by
that time her ankle was giving her too much trouble and Henin capitalised on
it to clinch the issue.

“The courts in Doha are slower than in Dubai,” said Henin. “Here you have
to put a lot of power behind the ball so it's not easy to play in Doha
immediately after Dubai.” Jankovic said it had become difficult for her in
the latter stages of the match. “My ankle was painful, I was struggling to
move around. I was lot slower than normal,” said the Serb, who has taken
Henin to three sets in all the three matches they have played so far.
“I will have to consult a doctor before I play my next tournament.”


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