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Belgian rivals in crucial showdown for top ranking
Filderstadt, Oct 12: Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters make it an all-Belgian final at the Filderstadt Grand Prix as they battle for world dominance
Filderstadt, Oct 12: Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters make it an all-Belgian final at the Filderstadt Grand Prix as they battle for world dominance Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne will battle not only for the Filderstadt Grand Prix title on Sunday (October 12), but also for the number one ranking after both earned straight-set semi-final victories. Defending champion and world number one Clijsters overcame stiff first-set resistance before breezing past unseeded Mary Pierce of France 7-6 6-0. She will face second seed Henin-Hardenne after her fellow Belgian beat unseeded Russian Elena Bovina 6-2 6-4. Henin-Hardenne, who beat Clijsters in both the French and U.S. Open finals, will take over from Clijsters as the world number one if she wins the final. Clijsters will remain at number one if she retains her title. Bovina, who upset third seeded Lindsay Davenport in the quarter-finals, made far too many errors to really trouble world number two Henin-Hardenne. Powerful but careless, the 20-year-old Russian often over hit the ball, even from the very first point when she should have put away an easy forehand but sent it sailing over the baseline.
Henin-Hardenne was always in charge after breaking serve to lead 1-0, holding off a break point in the second game and then breaking again to love to move ahead 3-0.
Although Bovina settled down a little, especially in the second set, Henin-Hardenne was rarely under pressure. The only difficult moment came when she faced a break point at 3-4, but Bovina over hit a forehand and the Belgian went on to break for 5-4 with a magnificent backhand winner down the line before serving out the match.
Tennis is about taking the chances you are offered and Pierce failed to do that on Saturday. She held the upper hand against Clijsters in the first set, leading 40-0 on the Belgian's serve at 2-2 and then breaking to lead 5-4 when Clijsters put a double-handed backhand down the line just wide.
But Pierce then dropped her own serve to love, was overwhelmed in the tiebreak, and after dropping a tightly-contested opening service game of the second set won just five more points in the match.
Clijsters concentration was only briefly broken in the second set when she struck a powerful backhand against the head of a ballgirl who was stunned but fortunately unhurt.
Bureau Report