Filed under: Tennis, Australian Open
Justine Henin coasts through to third roundFormer world number one Justine Henin appeared to show no signs of the elbow injury that has disrupted her season with an emphatic victory over Great Britain's Elen Baltacha.
Henin has an impressive pedigree in Grand Slams and wasted no time in coasting through to the third round after a 6-1 6-3 win, in their first ever meeting.
The Belgian No 11 seed made a devastating start, breaking Baltacha in the first game and only required another 27 minutes to claim the set.
While Baltacha, the British No 1, displayed some defiance in the second set she was still swept aside as Henin, the winner of seven major titles in the past, produced an impressive performance that will boost confidence following her return to tennis last year after six months out.
The only problem Henin admitted to were the relatively tepid weather conditions. She said: "The weather doesn't help, that's for sure. So I wasn't feeling at my best on this part today.
"But I have to deal with it and get ready, be focused on your game, even if it's not easy. But I did a good job about that."
Venus Williams nearly suffered an injury scare of her own but still managed to secure a 6-7 6-0 6-4 triumph over Sandra Zahlavova.
There was panic around the Rod Laver Arena in the first set as Williams screamed out in obvious agony at an apparent thigh strain that needed medical treatment.
But the fourth seed made an impressive recovery despite losing the first set 8-6 on the tie-break to take the second at a canter, before claiming the third in a topsy turvy encounter.
Andy Roddick's Aussie Open pedigree shining through
Andy Roddick has always had affection for the Australian Open after reaching the final three times and made relatively light work of Russia's Igor Kunitsyn with a 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 6-3 victory.
A nervy first set was eventually claimed by the American but he then displayed his armoury of blistering ground strokes to take the next two without any problems.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Samuel Eto’o Sergio Agüero Sergio Ramos Shunsuke Nakamura Simao Sabrosa
No comments:
Post a Comment