Serena Williams Wallops Justine Henin to Win Aussie Open Tennis Tourney 2010

Once again, Serena Williams is the queen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. By defeating Justine Henin, the formidable Belgian comeback kid, in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, Williams claimed her fifth Australian open singles title and her 12^th championship at a major grand slam tournament. On Friday, less than 24 hours earlier, Serena and Venus Williams clinched the doubles title, defeating top-seeded doubles specialists Cara Black (Zimbabwe) and Liezel Huber (U.S.) handily 6-4, 6-3.

The women's final was riveting, with two seasoned champions and wily competitors slugging it out, doggedly, playing generally at a very high level, and the momentum shifting. The 27-year-old Henin has a resume comparable to that of 28-year-old Williams, with seven grand slam wins, including a win in Australia in 2004.

Both players looked uncomfortable and displayed grim determination and few smiles throughout the joyless but fascinating two hour, seven minute contest. Neither player connected with the crowd. Although the final score does not look all that close, in fact Henin scored just five fewer points throughout the match. This reflects Williams' success at digging deep to win key points at critical junctures throughout the match-a hallmark of her tennis career.

Henin: Rusty, with Serve Troubles

This was the physically slight and non-flashy Henin's 11^th match since returning from a one-season layoff (a brief retirement), during which she worked systematically to make changes in her technique and strategy. Expert commentators, such as Mary Joe Fernandez on the Tennis Channel, noted that she was moving in to the net frequently, even when that might not have been the ideal response in all instances. She also had difficulties with her serve, racking up six double faults and a low 50 percent first serve percentage.

As she continues through the 2010 season, she will probably refine her game, shake off any rustiness, and play near her top potential with more ease. She seems eager to continue playing. Henin has long been one of the few players who could go toe to toe with Serena Williams, and today's match brought their head to head record to 8-6 (Williams leading).

Williams: Weary and Aching

As for Williams, she fought through (minor) injury and exhaustion throughout the match. Her schedule during the two-week tournament was daunting, since she played in both singles and doubles. She came in heavily taped and seemed to be picking her shots to minimize movement around the court. When, necessary, however, she did move amazingly well for such a large player, especially on those key points.

A number of times during the match she seemed disgruntled and even angry about line calls and was heard swearing under her breath, which brought back unfortunate memories of her outburst of verbal abuse against a line judge at last year's U.S. Open, for which she was sanctioned. Off court, Serena Williams has been trying to mend fences and restore her flagging reputation in the wake of that incident.

Serena Williams broke away from the pack of 4-time winners of the Australian Open title (Margaret Court, Yvonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles) to become the first 5-time winner. In addition, with this 12^th grand slam win, she is now tied with legend Billie Jean King for the 6^th position on the list of all-time winners of grand slams. During her post-match remarks, Williams gushed to King, who was present: "I'm so honored Billie, we're tied!"

Next Stop: France

Looking forward, the next stop on the grand slam circuit is Paris, France, where Justine Henin has to be viewed as among the very top contenders. The Belgian has won the French Open at Roland Garros, the only clay court major, four times (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007). Among the women, only Chris Evert and Steffi Graf have won the French Open more times than Henin.

Henin did not play at Roland Garros in 2008 or 2009 during her retirement, allowing a bevy of Russian women to usurp her throne. In 2009, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated Safina in the finals and in 2008 Serbian Ana Ivanovic defeated Dinara Safina. Serena Williams has won this tournament only once, in 2002, and has not made the finals since.

The French Open begins on May 23, 2010. Although Serena Williams reigns as queen of the Australian Open, Justine is queen of the French and will be defending her dynasty this May.

Sources:

Tennis Channel coverage of the Australian Open women's final match Saturday, January 30, 2010

Website of the Australian Open Tournament

Wikipedia, "List of French Open Women's Singles Champions"