Melbourne, Jan 17: Fifth seed Justine Henin-Hardenne cruised past Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik 6-2 6-0 in the Australian Open today to set up an intriguing fourth-round match with former champion Lindsay Davenport.
The fleet-footed Belgian overwhelmed Srebotnik in the fierce Melbourne sun, breaking the number 32 seed twice in the first set and completely dominating the second behind some dazzling shot-making and clever use of angles.
Henin-Hardenne, a quarter-finalist here last year, eventually wrapped up a one-sided encounter with a service winner on her first match point after one hour on court. The 20-year-old, who reached the final of Wimbledon in 2001, has failed to beat Davenport in five previous meetings. The American won the Australian Open three years ago.


Bureau Report