Henin shows her nerve
Tennis 
/ Andy Morris / 08 January 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
Whether they did so with their head or their heart, those who backed Justine Henin at the start of the Brisbane International look to have made a wise move, writes Andy Morris.
"Henin and Ivanovic have never played each other, so there is no history to guide potential bettors."
It was a risky strategy, to get on board the former world no. 1 who had not played a tournament in 20 months.
But the way she overcame a scare in her quarterfinal on Thursday suggested the Belgian player has what it takes to lift the trophy.
Not that she played the greatest tennis of her career, by any means, but she showed her resilience in overcoming seventh-seeded Hungarian Melinda Czink in a third set tiebreak.
Henin has won 41 WTA singles titles and more than US$19 million in prize money in her career, but there was really no way of knowing whether she could recapture her brilliant best once she returned to the courts.
No doubting Henin's abilities
Regarded by Billie Jean King as "pound for pound the best tennis player of her generation" there was no doubting that time was still on her side, at the age of 27.
But what we needed to see was whether her mind was in the right place. Her focus in her quarterfinal showed that she has the mental strength required, and there will be plenty of people putting there money on her for a second Australian Open title on this evidence.
She took only 31 minutes to win the first set 6-2, but world no. 37 Czink took the second and broke Henin's first service game in the decider.
Henin won the next four games, but when she double faulted to be broken again, it was all to play for once again.
Now the Belgian needed to show what she was made of, and she forced three match points in the 11th game and two more in the tiebreak before clinching the match.
Ivanovic through in straight sets
It sets up an intriguing semi-final clash with world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic, and the whole tennis world will be sitting up and taking notice of this one.
Ivanovic beat Russian Anastasia Pavluychenkova to win in straight sets earlier in the game, but has not perhaps been at her sharpest in this tournament, having needed three sets to win her previous two matches.
Although her lay-off was nothing like as long as Henin's, she had not played for four months before coming to Brisbane, having taken the end of the year to recuperate from niggling injuries.
Henin and Ivanovic have never played each other, so there is no history to guide potential bettors. However, Henin's progress now looks pre-destined and it would be no surprise to see her set up an all-Belgian final against Kim Clijsters.
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