Henin looks sharp in comeback match
Source: Agencies |
January 5, 2010, Tuesday
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JUSTINE Henin had barely finished off her first win since coming out of retirement when talk of her winning an eighth Grand Slam singles title began in earnest yesterday in Australia.
Henin beat second-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-5, 7-5 in the first round of the Brisbane International, her first official tour match since announcing her comeback in September.
Petrova said Henin was a better, more aggressive player than she was when she quit the tour in May 2008 and had no doubt the 27-year-old Belgian could win another Grand Slam title.
"That's why she's back. She's hungry to win Wimbledon," Petrova said. "The changes she's done in her game is actually leading toward that."
Henin spent a combined 117 weeks at No. 1 in the rankings, winning seven majors, an Olympic gold medal and 41 WTA titles.
"I feel better today than when I retired, that's for sure," Henin said. "Better emotionally, mentally, better with myself - and that makes a big difference that I will enjoy being on the tour again."
Henin said she certainly felt better emotionally after Monday's victory, which followed exhibition wins last month, including one over Petrova in Cairo.
"It's a big step my first match. I've been waiting for this moment for so long," Henin said. "Finally, I walked on the court. The crowd ... I was really touched. At the beginning, everything seemed very big: the stadium, all the people. I'm not used to it anymore.
"Everything went well. I have a lot to work on, but for a first match, a first tough round, I can be really positive today."
Earlier, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic won the last three games to finish off a tight tussle 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 over Australian Jelena Dokic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded Ivanovic hasn't played since a first-round exit at Tokyo in September, which followed a disappointing first-round loss at the US Open.
On the men's side, top-seeded Andy Roddick beat Australia's Peter Luczak 7-6 (5), 6-2 in a night match.
Roddick clinched the first set with three straight points, closing with his 13th ace.
Defending champion Radek Stepanek extended his winning streak at the Brisbane tournament to six matches with a 6-4, 6-0 win over local wild card entry John Millman.
Richard Gasquet beat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in his first match after being cleared of wrongdoing after traces of cocaine were discovered in a March drug test.
The CAS accepted Gasquet's claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing a woman in a Miami club after withdrawing from a tournament.
In other men's first-round results, Colombia's Alejandro Falla beat seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-4 and eighth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil defeated Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
Henin beat second-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-5, 7-5 in the first round of the Brisbane International, her first official tour match since announcing her comeback in September.
Petrova said Henin was a better, more aggressive player than she was when she quit the tour in May 2008 and had no doubt the 27-year-old Belgian could win another Grand Slam title.
"That's why she's back. She's hungry to win Wimbledon," Petrova said. "The changes she's done in her game is actually leading toward that."
Henin spent a combined 117 weeks at No. 1 in the rankings, winning seven majors, an Olympic gold medal and 41 WTA titles.
"I feel better today than when I retired, that's for sure," Henin said. "Better emotionally, mentally, better with myself - and that makes a big difference that I will enjoy being on the tour again."
Henin said she certainly felt better emotionally after Monday's victory, which followed exhibition wins last month, including one over Petrova in Cairo.
"It's a big step my first match. I've been waiting for this moment for so long," Henin said. "Finally, I walked on the court. The crowd ... I was really touched. At the beginning, everything seemed very big: the stadium, all the people. I'm not used to it anymore.
"Everything went well. I have a lot to work on, but for a first match, a first tough round, I can be really positive today."
Earlier, 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic won the last three games to finish off a tight tussle 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 over Australian Jelena Dokic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded Ivanovic hasn't played since a first-round exit at Tokyo in September, which followed a disappointing first-round loss at the US Open.
On the men's side, top-seeded Andy Roddick beat Australia's Peter Luczak 7-6 (5), 6-2 in a night match.
Roddick clinched the first set with three straight points, closing with his 13th ace.
Defending champion Radek Stepanek extended his winning streak at the Brisbane tournament to six matches with a 6-4, 6-0 win over local wild card entry John Millman.
Richard Gasquet beat Finland's Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in his first match after being cleared of wrongdoing after traces of cocaine were discovered in a March drug test.
The CAS accepted Gasquet's claim that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing a woman in a Miami club after withdrawing from a tournament.
In other men's first-round results, Colombia's Alejandro Falla beat seventh-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-4 and eighth-seeded Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil defeated Argentina's Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.
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