Henin-Hardenne boosted by victory
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Happy Henin-Hardenne sends her love to supporters in Sydney
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SYDNEY, Australia -- World No.1 Justine Henin-Hardenne sounded a warning to her Australian Open rivals with a straight sets win over Amelie Mauresmo of France in the final of the Sydney international.
The 21-year-old triumphed 6-4 6-4 in hot, windy conditions but had to overcome last-minute nerves, dropping three match points before finally claiming victory.
Henin-Hardenne, top seed in Melbourne next week, admitted she was not at the top of her game but was heartened to still manage a win.
"It gives me confidence before the Australian Open and alsotoday I proved that even if you're not playing your best tennis you can win," she said.
"That's very important for a player like me, I just stayed focused on every point and played well when I had to."
The diminutive Belgian said earlier this week that she had been working at attacking the net to counter larger opponents.
And she adopted an aggressive game plan in the final which she is likely to use against the game's big hitters at the Australian Open.
"I have to attack a lot, even if I play Venus Williams, Kim Clijsters or another player, it doesn't change the game I have to play," she said.
Henin-Hardenne she said she was taking nothing for granted ahead of her first-round match against Australian wildcard 15-year-old Olivia Lukaszewicz
"I'll be careful, this kind of match can be dangerous sometimes," she said. "It's the first round of a Grand Slam, it's always tough."
It was always going to be a difficult task for Mauresmo to overhaul Henin-Hardenne, as she had to play her semifinal against Italy's Francesca Schiavone earlier in the day after it was held over from Friday because of rain.
The 24-year-old said she felt unwell after Schiavone match but downplayed suggestions the hectic schedule had cost her the tournament.
"Of course it's hard to spend so long on the court when it's so hot and you have the sun burning you, but that's the way it is," she said.
"I didn't really feel tired like I couldn't move for the final. I was surprised actually because at the end of this morning's match I wasn't feeling so good."
Mauresmo said the clash showed there was little between her and Henin-Hardenne on the court and she ranked herself alongside the Belgian as a favorite for the season's first grand slam event.
"It's good to have some matches under your belt, it's good to have played some good players because you know where you are," she added.
• Argentina's Paola Suarez saved five match points before recovering to beat Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 3-6 6-4 7-6 in the final of the Canberra Classic.
