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| June 04, 2006 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1427 |
French Open: Henin avenges 2004 upset defeat
PARIS, June 3: Fighting off flashbacks, Justine Henin-Hardenne avenged a 2004 upset defeat, winning the final nine games on Saturday to defeat Tathiana Garbin 6-4, 6-0 at the French Open.
Henin-Hardenne was ranked No. 1 when Garbin beat her the last time they met, in the second round of the 2004 tournament.
''In the first set, I have to say I thought a little bit about what happened two years ago,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ''You need to forget about the past. You cannot do anything about that.''
Seeded fifth, defending champion Henin-Hardenne is bidding to win the title for the third time in four years. Her opponent Sunday will be 2004 winner Anastasia Myskina, who beat No. 19 Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-3.
''She's someone you can never write off,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ''She won a Grand Slam. She has experience that not many players have on tour.''
Henin-Hardenne has won six of eight meetings against Myskina. That includes their most recent match at the 2004 Olympics, when Myskina squandered a 5-1 lead in the third set.
''Justine is a normal person who can do mistakes,'' Myskina said. ''Not easy ones _ she's not going to give you any free points, but she still can miss. I know that I can win the match if I'm going to play my best. I just need to believe in myself and be strong.''No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters beat No. 26 Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-4. Clijsters totaled 28 winners and 44 unforced errors; Medina Garrigues had six and 12.
In men's play, No. 14 Lleyton Hewitt eliminated No. 22 Dominik Hrbaty 7-6 (5), 6-2, 6-2. Hewitt, who has been hampered by calf and ankle injuries, was encouraged by his progress playing only his fourth match since early April.
''My ball-striking was great today,'' Hewitt said. ''I served as well as I've probably ever served, especially on clay. Dominik doesn't give you a lot of cheap points out there; you've got to work for it. But I took it to him.''
No. 32 Gisela Dulko beat Shenay Perry 6-1, 6-1 in 52 minutes, leaving one American _ Venus Williams _ in the women's draw.
Dulko's opponent Sunday will be No. 13 Anna-Lena Groenefeld, who reached the fourth round at a major event for the first time by beating No. 20 Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 7-6 (2). No. 15 Daniela Hantuchova eliminated No. 21 Nathalie Dechy 6-3, 3-6, 10-8.
Myskina held every service game against Ivanovic, benefiting from her young opponent's 37 unforced errors. Following the victory, the Moscow native received courtside congratulations from a beaming Boris Yeltsin and autographed a straw hat for the former Russian president.
''He said I play really nice and good,'' said Myskina, seeded 10th. ''When he watched before, I never lose a match so far. So I hope he's going to stay here.''
Henin-Hardenne took charge against Garbin by playing aggressively after a slow start. She won 11 of 13 points at the net in the second set, when she totaled 17 winners to three for Garbin.
''I won many points at the net,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ''I have to continue along those lines. I have to be aggressive, use my forehand. It's easier to say than actually implement.''
Henin-Hardenne's elimination in 2004 matched the earliest at Roland Garros by a defending women's champion. Myskina eclipsed that dubious achievement last year, losing in the opening round.
Results:
Men’s (third round): Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (Spain) beat 15-David Ferrer (Spain) 7-6(4) 7-5 6-4; Alberto Martin (Spain) beat 27-Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 7-5 4-6 6-7(5) 6-1 6-4; Julien Benneteau (France) beat 11-Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) 5-7 7-5 7-6(8) 6-3; 14-Lleyton Hewitt (Australia) beat 22-Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2.
Women's (third round): 12-Martina Hingis (Switzerland) beat Ivana Lisjak (Croatia) 6-1 6-1; 31-Shahar Peer (Israel) beat 6-Elena Dementieva (Russia) 6-4 7-5 ; 2-Kim Clijsters (Belgium) beat 26-Anabel Medina (Spain) 6-3 6-4; 13-Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) beat 20-Maria Kirilenko (Russia) 6-2 7-6(2); 15-Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) beat 21-Nathalie Dechy (France) 6-3 3-6 10-8; 32-Gisela Dulko (Argentina) beat Shenay Perry (U.S.) 6-1 6-1; 5-Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) beat Tathiana Garbin (Italy) 6-4 6-0; 10-Anastasia Myskina (Russia) beat 19-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia and Montenegro) 6-2 6-3.—Agencies
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