Belgium`s Justine Henin continued her successful return to professional tennis with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan`s Sesil Karatantcheva at the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
|Last Updated: Jan 06, 2010, 06:25 PM IST|Source: Bureau
London: Belgium`s Justine Henin continued her successful return to professional tennis with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Kazakhstan`s Sesil Karatantcheva at the Brisbane International on Wednesday.
The former world number one, playing her first official tournament in 20 months, cruised to victory in 77 minutes to advance to the quarter-finals against Hungary`s Melinda Czink.
Top seed Andy Roddick also maintained his steady buildup to this month`s Australian Open with a workmanlike 7-6, 6-3 second round win over big-serving Australian Carsten Ball in the men`s draw.
Last year`s Wimbledon finalist, resuming after a knee injury cut short his 2009 season, saved a set point before winning the opener in a tiebreak then snatched the second with a single break of serve.
Roddick`s fellow American James Blake saved three match points and recovered from a service break down in the deciding third set to defeat Frenchman Marc Gicquel 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in a much tighter match on the Pat Rafter centre court.
"I was not going to let him beat me. You play your best when you have that clear mindset," said Blake, who also won his first round match in three sets.
"I would prefer to win in two and two but it is good to get some tough match-ups in the lead-up to a Grand Slam."
Czech Radek Stepanek also survived a close shave before beating Ukranian qualifier Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 to keep alive his Brisbane title defence.
In the women`s event, Slovakia`s Daniela Hantuchova brushed aside the challenge of Hungary`s Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-1 while Czech Lucie Safarova disposed of Canada`s Aleksandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-1 to join top seed Kim Clijsters in the last eight.
Clijsters, who won last year`s US Open after making a comeback of her own, cannot meet Henin until the final.
The tournament, in only its second year, is one of the major lead-up events to the Australian Open in Melbourne from Jan. 18-31.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.