Belgians set up dream final

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:59

Wild card Henin continued her remarkable comeback to tennis with a 6-3 6-2 win over third seed Ana Ivanovic.

Despite having spent 20 months out of the game, it was the Henin of old as she easily dispatched the Serbian in just over an hour.

The Belgian secured the crucial break in the fifth game of the opening set before breaking again to close it out 6-3.

The 27-year-old carried that momentum into the second to break again and led 2-0 before Ivanovic mounted a comeback.

The Serbian hauled it back to 2-2 but Henin won the next four games to clinch victory.

Top seed Clijsters later secured a final date with her countrywoman by sinking German Andrea Petkovic in the second semi-final.

The US Open champion, who had almost two years out of the game before returning in astonishing fashion to claim a second crown at Flushing Meadows in September, continued her excellent run of form by defeating Petkovic 6-4 6-2.

Henin played down any talk of a rift with her Belgian rival after clinching her place in the final, saying: “There is so much respect between the two of us so, I know sometimes people would love to hear there have been problems between us, but that’s not the case – never in the past.

“I think I respect the person and the player, and it’s the same for her.”

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