Federer and Henin capture crowns

Published March 23, 2004

INDIAN WELLS, March 22: World number one and top seed Roger Federer brushed aside ninth seed Tim Henman 6-3 6-3 to win the men's Pacific Life Open final on Sunday.

Swiss Federer was in fine form and Britain's Henman, who had enjoyed a good run to the final, found himself outgunned.

Earlier, top ranked Justine Henin-Hardenne beat Lindsay Davenport 6-1 6-4 to win the women's final. The Belgian overpowered her much taller opponent, crunching her one-handed backhand to all angles of the court and blitzing her opponent's second serves.

"I love the finals," said Henin-Hardenne, who nailed 29 winners to only 17 from Davenport. "That's what I love in tennis - the competition and the tension. It helps me to be 100 percent."

Davenport broke the Belgian at the beginning of the second set, but Henin-Hardenne surged back to 3-3 when Davenport missed a forehand approach shot. The American served into the mid-day sun trailing 4-5 and in a spirited finale, her opponent needed five match points to close it out.

Davenport whipped in three service winners and a successful volley to fight off the first four, but then the Belgian clubbed a forehand down the line to take the contest and her fourth title of the year.

Finals results

Men's singles: Roger Federer (Switzerland) bt Tim Henman (Britain) 6-3 6-3

Women's singles: Justine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) bt Lindsay Davenport (U.S.) 6-1 6-4. -Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Wheat price crash
Updated 20 May, 2024

Wheat price crash

What the government has done to Punjab’s smallholder wheat growers by staying out of the market amid crashing prices is deplorable.
Afghan corruption
20 May, 2024

Afghan corruption

AMONGST the reasons that the Afghan Taliban marched into Kabul in August 2021 without any resistance to speak of ...
Volleyball triumph
20 May, 2024

Volleyball triumph

IN the last week, while Pakistan’s cricket team savoured a come-from-behind T20 series victory against Ireland,...
Border clashes
19 May, 2024

Border clashes

THE Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier has witnessed another series of flare-ups, this time in the Kurram tribal district...
Penalising the dutiful
19 May, 2024

Penalising the dutiful

DOES the government feel no remorse in burdening honest citizens with the cost of its own ineptitude? With the ...
Students in Kyrgyzstan
Updated 19 May, 2024

Students in Kyrgyzstan

The govt ought to take a direct approach comprising convincing communication with the students and Kyrgyz authorities.