Henin-Hardenne is hungry
The nightmare continues for women?s tennis.
Belgium?s Justine Henin-Hardenne is a marketing disaster. She doesn?t have the glamor factor of Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova. She doesn?t represent a country with a large population lining up to buy the merchandise she promotes. And she doesn?t go out of her way to make herself accessible to fans or the media. All Henin-Hardenne does, it seems, is win tennis matches.
The diminutive dynamo from Li?ge was in fine form Thursday, defeating fellow countrywoman Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 to reach the finals of the Wimbledon championship. It was the eighth time Henin-Hardenne had beaten Clijsters in their last 11 matches. According to Belgian journalist Filip Dewulf, Henin-Hardenne?s mastery is all about attitude. Dewulf told ESPN that the relatively easy-going Clijsters ?seems OK with not getting any better, while Justine is really pushed by her coach and is constantly working on her game and trying to improve.?
Now Henin-Hardenne is heading for a showdown with top-seeded Am?lie Mauresmo, another player who focuses on her tennis far more than her public persona. Mauresmo was easily the better player in her 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 semifinal victory over Sharapova; however, it wasn?t without some trademark lapses in concentration along the way. ?Before, when I was getting tight, probably my game went really down and very low level,? Mauresmo told reporters afterward in her broken English. ?When now is much better, especially since I?m capable of coming back into the match and really play my best tennis in that third set.?
It looks like Mauresmo is going to need every ounce of that focus when she meets Henin-Hardenne at SW19 this Saturday. The Belgian is the clear betting favorite at ?200 (Mauresmo is pegged at +150); you can also get Henin-Hardenne at +130 to cruise in straight sets or +275 to take the Rosewater Dish in three sets. The top seed, on the other hand, is priced at +350 to win 2-0 and +400 to win 2-1.
Both players are technically sound with power to burn, but Henin-Hardenne has been playing at an elite level for much longer than Mauresmo. Henin-Hardenne has a career record of 27-13 despite being just 24 years of age. The 27-year-old Mauresmo (who celebrated her birthday this past Wednesday) is just above break-even at 22-18 in finals matches. The main storyline for this Saturday, though, will be what happened the last time these two players met at a major tournament.
Mauresmo earned her first Grand Slam title this past January when she beat Henin-Hardenne at the Australian Open finals. It wasn?t a career-defining moment by any means. Henin-Hardenne retired in the second set with stomach problems, earning the wrath of commentators; Mauresmo also won over Clijsters in the semis via retirement. Otherwise, Henin-Hardenne has been difficult to beat. She came back to trounce Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1 on clay at the Berlin Open to win her third match against the Frenchwoman in four attempts, at the same time claiming a 5-4 lead in their lifetime series.
Henin-Hardenne carried a 2006 singles record of 38-5 into Wimbledon. She didn?t lose a single set (and didn?t even have to face a tiebreaker) in winning the French Open, and she has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon. This is the only major championship to elude Henin-Hardenne thus far. She?s been to the final once before, losing to Venus Williams in 2001, and went to the semifinals the following two years. Clay seems to be her preferred court, with three French Open victories to go with the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2004 Aussie Open titles. But playing on grass doesn?t bother Henin-Hardenne ? she won the Wimby warmup last month at Eastbourne for her second singles title on that surface.
Mauresmo lost in the first round at Eastbourne to France?s Nathalie Dechy to fall to 26-15 lifetime on grass, with no titles to her credit. This is her first trip to the Wimbledon finals after reaching the semis on three occasions. Handicappers looking for value in the top seed should note that, other than the Aussie Open retirement, six of Mauresmo?s last seven titles were won in three sets. Mauresmo lost the first set in five of those matches.
Both players will be motivated to prove that the Australian Open result was no fluke. But Henin-Hardenne is on a mission to complete her career Grand Slam. Her recent dominance over Clijsters and the rest of the women?s draw puts Henin-Hardenne in the driver?s seat this Saturday.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
The nightmare continues for women?s tennis.
Belgium?s Justine Henin-Hardenne is a marketing disaster. She doesn?t have the glamor factor of Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova. She doesn?t represent a country with a large population lining up to buy the merchandise she promotes. And she doesn?t go out of her way to make herself accessible to fans or the media. All Henin-Hardenne does, it seems, is win tennis matches.
The diminutive dynamo from Li?ge was in fine form Thursday, defeating fellow countrywoman Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 to reach the finals of the Wimbledon championship. It was the eighth time Henin-Hardenne had beaten Clijsters in their last 11 matches. According to Belgian journalist Filip Dewulf, Henin-Hardenne?s mastery is all about attitude. Dewulf told ESPN that the relatively easy-going Clijsters ?seems OK with not getting any better, while Justine is really pushed by her coach and is constantly working on her game and trying to improve.?
Now Henin-Hardenne is heading for a showdown with top-seeded Am?lie Mauresmo, another player who focuses on her tennis far more than her public persona. Mauresmo was easily the better player in her 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 semifinal victory over Sharapova; however, it wasn?t without some trademark lapses in concentration along the way. ?Before, when I was getting tight, probably my game went really down and very low level,? Mauresmo told reporters afterward in her broken English. ?When now is much better, especially since I?m capable of coming back into the match and really play my best tennis in that third set.?
It looks like Mauresmo is going to need every ounce of that focus when she meets Henin-Hardenne at SW19 this Saturday. The Belgian is the clear betting favorite at ?200 (Mauresmo is pegged at +150); you can also get Henin-Hardenne at +130 to cruise in straight sets or +275 to take the Rosewater Dish in three sets. The top seed, on the other hand, is priced at +350 to win 2-0 and +400 to win 2-1.
Both players are technically sound with power to burn, but Henin-Hardenne has been playing at an elite level for much longer than Mauresmo. Henin-Hardenne has a career record of 27-13 despite being just 24 years of age. The 27-year-old Mauresmo (who celebrated her birthday this past Wednesday) is just above break-even at 22-18 in finals matches. The main storyline for this Saturday, though, will be what happened the last time these two players met at a major tournament.
Mauresmo earned her first Grand Slam title this past January when she beat Henin-Hardenne at the Australian Open finals. It wasn?t a career-defining moment by any means. Henin-Hardenne retired in the second set with stomach problems, earning the wrath of commentators; Mauresmo also won over Clijsters in the semis via retirement. Otherwise, Henin-Hardenne has been difficult to beat. She came back to trounce Mauresmo 6-2, 6-1 on clay at the Berlin Open to win her third match against the Frenchwoman in four attempts, at the same time claiming a 5-4 lead in their lifetime series.
Henin-Hardenne carried a 2006 singles record of 38-5 into Wimbledon. She didn?t lose a single set (and didn?t even have to face a tiebreaker) in winning the French Open, and she has yet to drop a set at Wimbledon. This is the only major championship to elude Henin-Hardenne thus far. She?s been to the final once before, losing to Venus Williams in 2001, and went to the semifinals the following two years. Clay seems to be her preferred court, with three French Open victories to go with the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2004 Aussie Open titles. But playing on grass doesn?t bother Henin-Hardenne ? she won the Wimby warmup last month at Eastbourne for her second singles title on that surface.
Mauresmo lost in the first round at Eastbourne to France?s Nathalie Dechy to fall to 26-15 lifetime on grass, with no titles to her credit. This is her first trip to the Wimbledon finals after reaching the semis on three occasions. Handicappers looking for value in the top seed should note that, other than the Aussie Open retirement, six of Mauresmo?s last seven titles were won in three sets. Mauresmo lost the first set in five of those matches.
Both players will be motivated to prove that the Australian Open result was no fluke. But Henin-Hardenne is on a mission to complete her career Grand Slam. Her recent dominance over Clijsters and the rest of the women?s draw puts Henin-Hardenne in the driver?s seat this Saturday.
--Perry
BetWWTS.com
