coluchka Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 Serena Williams wins her fifth Australian Open title Serena Williams ended Justine Henin's hopes of a Grand Slam title in her return from retirement with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory in the Australian Open final on Saturday. Williams withstood a determined challenge from Henin before securing her second straight and fifth Australian Open title overall. It was Williams' 12th Grand Slam singles championship. Henin, who had most of the crowd support at Rod Laver Arena, couldn't match her fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters' feat of winning in her Grand Slam comeback tournament. Clijsters won last year's U.S. Open in her return from a two-year retirement after getting married and having a daughter. Williams won the last four games to clinch the championship in just over two hours, falling on her back in celebration after match point. Still, it was an impressive run by Henin. She lost in the final of the Brisbane International tournament to Clijsters two weeks ago. The unranked and unseeded Henin then beat four seeded players en route to the Australian Open final, including No. 5 and Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in the second round. Henin saved two break points to hold for 3-3 in a four-game run in the second set, winning 13 of the last 14 points in a dominant finish to the set. She maintained the superiority early in the deciding set, increasing that to 18 of 19 points before Williams held serve to even the third set at 1-1. Williams, with her right thigh and left knee heavily taped as it had been for much of the tournament broke Henin to go up 2-1. The two then traded breaks, with Williams going up 3-2, a lead she never relinquished. Williams used an ace on her second serve to hold for a 4-2 lead, then broke again to move within a game of the title. The American holds an 8-6 edge in career meetings between the pair, including a 6-2, 6-0 win in Miami in 2008. At the time, it equaled the worst loss for a reigning No. 1, and Henin quit tennis two months later. Henin won the Australian Open title in 2004. She quit during the 2006 final with stomach problems while trailing Amelie Mauresmo 6-1, 2-0. Williams' 12th singles major matched American great Billie Jean King's career total. King was at the stadium on Saturday night to take part in a pre-match ceremony to honor the 40-year anniversary of Margaret Court's four Grand Slam tournament wins in 1970. Quote
coluchka Posted January 30, 2010 Posted January 30, 2010 Serena Williams of the United States of America poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy in Garden Square after her women's final match win against Justine Henin of Belgium during day thirteen of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 30, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. Quote
Qball Posted January 30, 2010 Author Posted January 30, 2010 Nice pictures, thank you Congratulations, Serena! Quote
Agenty Posted February 1, 2010 Posted February 1, 2010 I watched that final. For about two years, I haven't seen a three-set grand slam final. Serena just built the fire Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.