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Henin-Hardenne powers on to make Canadian Open semis
Toronto, Aug 17: Justine Henin-Hardenne reaches the semi-finals of Canadian Open tennis.
Toronto, Aug 17: Justine Henin-Hardenne reaches the semi-finals of Canadian Open tennis.
Second seed Justine Henin-Hardenne turned the lights out on Elena Bovina's challenge, beating the Russian 6-2 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the 1.3 million U.S. dollars Canadian Open on Friday (August 15).
The Belgian now meets ninth-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva, who overcame defending champion Amelie Mauresmo of France 3-6 6-4 6-2.
The tournament has been marred by the massive power failure which hit the eastern seaboard area of Canada and the north east of the U.S.
Henin-Hardenne's win attracted an estimated crowd of 5,000 in the 10,000-seat stadium at the National Tennis Centre after government officials told people to stay at home unless they had essential travel.
The world number three and reigning French Open champion was happy to put all the distractions to one side and concentrate on playing.
"The people who were here, I just wanted to say 'thank you'," Henin-Hardenne, 21, told reporters. "It's bad for the tournament, it's really disappointing for them. As for the players, we just try to prepare for the match as best we could and just try to stay concentrated on the match."
She did that, easily dispatching 12th seed Bovina, 20, with a dominant serve in the sweltering heat on Centre Court after rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the second set.
Henin-Hardenne had no power or water available at her hotel and said she did not sleep well on Thursday. But her strong performance this week is important to her, and not only because of the U.S. Open later this month.
"I'm not the kind of player who just tries to stay focused on grand slams," she said. "I think every tournament is important."
Dementieva rallied after losing the first set 6-3 to win a gruelling battle against third seed Mauresmo, who needed an injury timeout for a back strain. The Frenchwoman appeared to play pain-free for the rest of the contest but Dementieva had more energy and finally prevailed in a match that took more than two hours to complete.
"It was a very tough match and I was fortunate to finally beat her," Dementieva said. "I have nothing to lose (against Henin-Hardenne). She's a great player and it's going to be a great experience for me."
Paola Suarez of Argentina and Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya, both unseeded, will meet in the other semi-final on Saturday.
Suarez upset 10th seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia 2-6 6-2 6-4 while Krasnoroutskaya defeated Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 3-6 6-3 6-4. Krasnoroutskaya knocked out world number one Kim Clijsters earlier in the tournament.
Bureau Report
The world number three and reigning French Open champion was happy to put all the distractions to one side and concentrate on playing.
"The people who were here, I just wanted to say 'thank you'," Henin-Hardenne, 21, told reporters. "It's bad for the tournament, it's really disappointing for them. As for the players, we just try to prepare for the match as best we could and just try to stay concentrated on the match."
She did that, easily dispatching 12th seed Bovina, 20, with a dominant serve in the sweltering heat on Centre Court after rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the second set.
Henin-Hardenne had no power or water available at her hotel and said she did not sleep well on Thursday. But her strong performance this week is important to her, and not only because of the U.S. Open later this month.
"I'm not the kind of player who just tries to stay focused on grand slams," she said. "I think every tournament is important."
Dementieva rallied after losing the first set 6-3 to win a gruelling battle against third seed Mauresmo, who needed an injury timeout for a back strain. The Frenchwoman appeared to play pain-free for the rest of the contest but Dementieva had more energy and finally prevailed in a match that took more than two hours to complete.
"It was a very tough match and I was fortunate to finally beat her," Dementieva said. "I have nothing to lose (against Henin-Hardenne). She's a great player and it's going to be a great experience for me."
Paola Suarez of Argentina and Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya, both unseeded, will meet in the other semi-final on Saturday.
Suarez upset 10th seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia 2-6 6-2 6-4 while Krasnoroutskaya defeated Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 3-6 6-3 6-4. Krasnoroutskaya knocked out world number one Kim Clijsters earlier in the tournament.
Bureau Report