Henin-Hardenne to Face Myskina in Final
Reigning French Open champion and world number three Justine
Henin-Hardenne will face fifth seed Anastasia Myskina in Saturday’s
final of the Hastings Direct International Championships at
Eastbourne.
Number three seed Henin-Hardenne won the battle of the Belgians
after defeating defending champion Kim Clijsters 6-3, 5-7,
6-1 in the first semi-final on Centre Court. Henin-Hardenne
played the match very aggressively and was delighted to reach
the final on her first outing at Devonshire Park.
She said: “It wasn’t an easy match and it lasted
for two hours on grass which is tough. I played good tennis
in the first and third sets and I came to the net and was
very aggressive. In the second set I became too defensive
but in the third I took my opportunities and played well at
the end. I’m very happy with the way that I played,
I went for my shots and it gives me a lot of confidence.
Clijsters admitted Henin-Hardenne was the better player on
the day, and has switched her focus to next week. She said:
“She was too good and when someone serves that well
and places the ball that well it’s really hard. But
I’ve played some good grass court tennis and I hope
I can keep on improving towards Wimbledon.”
The Belgian will face world number 11 Myskina in Saturday’s
showpiece after the Russian secured a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory
over Svetlana Kuznetsova. Myskina, 2004 Roland Garros champion,
feels that she is getting near to her best form in recent
years. She said: “I was really aggressive and I feel
that that I’m playing good tennis. It’s the best
I’ve played this year or last, I hit the ball really
cleanly, my serve was a little shaky but my returns were pretty
good.”
Martina Navratilova will appear in her 19th Eastbourne final
after she partnered Liezel Huber in a 7-6, 7-6 victory over
number one seeds and French Open champions Lisa Raymond and
Samantha Stosur. After the match, Navratilova presented fellow-American
Raymond with a Special Achievement Award after she recently
became only the twelfth person in history to lift all four
Grand Slam doubles titles.
|
