AP News
(2010-01-20 12:59:52)
Justine Henin kept her fairytale comeback on track when she beat fifth seeded Russian Elena Dementieva 7-5, 7-6 (8/6) in a marathon second round match at the Australian Open on Wednesday.
Playing just her second tournament since returning from an 18-month retirement, Henin outlasted Dementieva in a two hour, 50 minute classic on the Rod Laver Arena.
"At the end the nerves got to me," a relieved Henin said. "It was really difficult to close the match out.
"In Brisbane (when she lost in the final to Kim Clijsters) I got the opportunities and didn't take them, and I thought here it would be the same, so I am very happy.
"I couldn't believe I could live the emotions like that."
Both women played some spectacular attacking tennis over the two sets, with the quality of the match more suited to a final than the second round.
Either would have made a worthy winner, but Henin just managed to keep her composure on the big points to eke out the narrowest of victories, despite her first serve falling away badly as the match wore on.
Dementieva, who has never won a Grand Slam, will be cursing the vagaries of the draw that saw her matched against the seven-time Grand Slam winner so early in the tournament.
Despite her time away from the tour, Henin showed she has lost none of her shot-making ability or her legendary tenacity, but she was matched almost point for point by the Russian world number five.
Dementieva had her opportunities, with three set points in the first set and another in the second, but Henin managed to save them all and then convert her chances when they came.
Both Henin and Dementieva attacked from the outset, with service breaks coming thick and fast in both sets.
There was no indication as to the likely winner when Dementieva, who saved a match point while trailing 4-5, 30-40 in the second set, forced a tiebreak and skipped away to a 3-1 lead.
But Henin was not to be denied and she came storming back to level the scores, saving a set point at 5-6 in the tiebreak then winning the next two points to take the match.
"At the end the nerves got to me," a relieved Henin said. "It was really difficult to close the match out.
"In Brisbane (when she lost in the final to Kim Clijsters) I got the opportunities and didn't take them, and I thought here it would be the same, so I am very happy.
"I couldn't believe I could live the emotions like that."
Copyright 2010  AFP Global Edition
