Kimpressive: Clijsters Conquers Henin At Wimbledon

Wimbledon ATP - Official Site - Order of Play - Singles Draw - Singles Qualifiers Draw - Doubles Draw - Doubles Qualifiers Draw - Live Scores

Wimbledon WTA - Official Site - Order of Play - Singles Draw - Singles Qualifiers Draw - Doubles Draw - Doubles Qualifiers Draw - Live Scores

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By Adrianna Outlaw
© Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

(June 28, 2010) Fueled by the aim of running down her Wimbledon dream, Justine Henin burst out of the blocks quickly in breaking to open the match and eventually seizing a one-set lead over arch rival Kim Clijsters.

Henin came out of retirement to try to win Wimbledon, but Clijsters posted a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 conquest in today's all-Belgian blockbuster to keep her Wimbledon dreams alive.

Down a set, Clijsters began to strike shots with more conviction, while Henin, who injured her right elbow after crashing to the court in the third game of the match, could not sustain the consistency she showed in the first set.

"She came out of the blocks really fast and she started dominating from the beginning of the rallies and I kind of felt overwhelmed by it," Clijsters said. "It was up to me at the beginning of the second set to stay in the points and serve better. I had to stay in the rallies and that’s how I turned it around, a few longer rallies where I felt that I was hitting the ball better and it was going my way in the end."

Clijsters, who missed the French Open while recovering from a muscle tear in her foot, will take on Vera Zvonareva for a spot in the final four. The 21st-seeded Russian held a 6-1, 3-0 lead over Jelena Jankovic when the fourth-seeded Serbian retired from their fourth-round match due to a back injury, sending Zvonareva into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal.

The Clijsters-Zvonareva rivalry has been a one-sided affair with Clijsters winning all five of their prior matches, including both of their grass-court clashes at the 2006 Eastbourne and Wimbledon events.

It was the 25th career clash between the compatriots. Clijsters, who edged Henin, 7-6 in the third set of both the Brisbane final and the Miami semifinals, has beaten her rival in all three of their meetings tihs season to take a 13-12 lead in their head-to-head series.

"I can't believe we're back in these kind of sutations," Clijsters said. "We played really good tennis. We showed some good stuff today."

In their lone Wimbledon meeting, Henin posted a 6-4, 7-6(4) decision in the 2006 semifinals. Overall, Henin, whose transition game and volleys are slightly better, had won three of their four grass-court meetings.

Henin has also been better in their Grand Slam encounters, posting a 5-2 record in major meetings, winning their last five major matches, including victories in the 2003 French Open final, 2003 US Open final and 2004 Australian Open final.

Yet, reigning US Open champion Clijsters has been more successful since they returned to the Tour. Henin said she launched her comeback to win Wimbledon and complete the career Grand Slam; Clijsters has reached every major final except for Wimbledon.

The eighth-seeded Clijsters went up 40-15 today in the first game, but Henin roared back to break and eventually took the first set. Henin injured her right elbow when she tumbled to the court at 2-1 in the opening set. She took treatment on the injury and said it inhibited her on her serve and backhand.

"I don’t really know how it affected (the match)," said Henin. "We’ll see in the next few days."