Henin-Hardenne, who won the French Open and US Open titles this year but could only wrest the No. 1 ranking away from compatriot Kim Clijsters for a week in October, made sure she’ll top the rankings at the end of her stellar season by reaching the semifinals of the elite $3m Championships.
Clijsters, meanwhile, completed round-robin play undefeated on Friday, rallying to beat France’s Amelie Mauresmo 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.
The defending champion here, Clijsters had already qualified for Sunday’s semifinals, while the fate of Mauresmo, who finished the first phase 1-2, hinges on Red Group rival Chanda Rubin’s match Saturday against Elena Dementieva.
Russia’s Anastasia Myskina kept her hopes of advancing alive with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Japan’s Ai Sugiyama.
Myskina bounced back from two early service breaks, which saw her trailing 4-1 in the opening set, to win in 65 minutes.
Results (all matches round-robin):
Black Group: Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) bt Jennifer Capriati (USA) 6-2, 6-1; Anastasia Myskina (RUS) bt Ai Sugiyama (JPN) 6-4, 6-3
Red Group: Kim Clijsters (BEL) bt Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4.—AFP