Clijsters and Henin headed for 4th round Belgian showdown

Belgian countrywomen Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters are headed for a potential 4th round showdown. Both have advanced into the 3rd round, and one more win each will pit them against each other.

It would make a very interesting match, putting 8th seeded Kim against 17th seeded Justine. Both are playing in their 1st Wimbledon since coming out of retirement, and both are working on winning their first Wimbledon. They both made the semifinal in their last Wimbledon appearance, Kim in 2006 and Justine in 2007. Justine has made the final twice, but did not win either one.

Stosur upset by Kanepi at Wimbledon

French Open runner up, Samantha Stosur of Australia, is already packing to go home after a 1st-round loss at Wimbledon on Tuesday. The lady who sent her packing is 80th-ranked qualifier, Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, who took care of the upset in stunning fashion in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

This was the fourth first-round exit in eight appearances at the All England Club for the sixth-seeded Samantha. She came to Wimbledon with a tour-leading 35 match wins in 2010 and with her career-best ranking. She reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open this month, beating current No. 1 Serena Williams and former World No. 1 Justine Henin and another former World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic along the way.

Henin wins championship of the UNICEF Open

Justine Henin of Belgium won the championship of the 2010 WTA Tour UNICEF Open played in s’Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands June 13-19. She defeated Andrea Petkovic of Germany in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

After dropping the 1st set, Justine was down a break in the 2nd, and again trailed 0-3 in the 3rd.

After the match, Justine said, “When I was down a break in the second, I don’t think many people would have thought I could come back. It’s the kind of match you really like to win. Today was harder than my other matches, because I really wanted to win, my mind was already in Wimbledon, and Andrea played a great match. She has a good game for grass—she hits the ball really flat and hard.

Stosur destroys Jankovic to gain berth in Final

Samantha Stosur, the 7th seed from Australia, totally dominated 4th seed, Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the 2010 French Open semifinals, winning 6-1, 6-2.

It was Samantha’s third straight win over a player who has held the #1 ranking. She defeated 4-time French Open champion and former #1 Justine Henin of Belgium in the 4th round, and 2002 Roland Garros champ and current #1 Serena Williams of the USA.

Henin wins 1st French Open match since 2007

Justine Henin took a big step in her return from retirement Tuesday, winning her first French Open match since 2007 when she won the tournament for the fourth time. Her unwilling accomplice in the 6-4, 6-3 win was Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria.

Henin was retired for 20 months, and while she’s seeded only 22nd, she’s considered one of the favorites for the title.

“She has all of the chances to win this tournament,” said Pironkova, who had played _ and lost to _ Henin three times before. “She still plays great. I don’t think she lost (anything) with that rest that she had. I think she is playing even better. She’s faster, and her strokes are more secure.”

Aravane Rezai reaches Madrid Final with win over Safarova

Unseeded Aravane Rezai of France will meet Venus Williams of the USA in the Final of the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open after defeating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic. The match against Safarova ended after just one set which Rezai won convincingly, 6-1. Safarova could no longer continue due to a left thigh injury and retired from the match.

That was not the way Rezai would have chosen to win the match, but it placed her in the final. She should be well rested and ready to play when she faces Williams in the Final.

Venus Williams only seed in Semifinals at Madrid Open

Venus Williams of the USA is the only seed left entering the Semifinal round at the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open being played in Madrid, Spain May 8-16. Seeded No. 4, Williams will go up against unseeded No. 22 ranked Shahar Peer of Israel.

The other Semifinal match sees unseeded No. 30 ranked Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic taking on unseeded No. 24 ranked Aravane Rezai of France.

En route to her Semifinal berth, Shahar Peer knocked off No. 5 seed, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and No. 13 seed, Na Li.

Henin Defeated by Rezai in 1st Round at Madrid

No. 22 Aravane Rezai of France took out last week’s champion in Stuttgart, No. 19 Justine Henin of Belgium in the 2010 WTA Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open currently being played in Madrid, Spain.

It took three sets, but Rezai, last year’s champion in Strasbourg, came out on top 4-6, 7-5, 6-0.

Henin has been suffering from nose and throat infections for the past week, which certainly would affect one’s play on court. Her infections probably didn’t feel as bad as the bagel she was served in the 3rd set.

Henin Wins Championship at Stuttgart

Former World No. 1 Justine Henin of Belgium won her first tournament after coming out of an 18-month retirement, showing she is serious about her comeback, and someone to be reckoned with heading into the French Open. Henin took three sets but was able to defeat Australia’s Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the final of the 2010 WTA Tour Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany on Sunday.

Henin finally made the breakthrough after being beaten in two previous finals this year. Henin was also the champion in Stuttgart in 2007.

Clijsters could miss French Open due to Injury

Just when everything seemed to be going her way, Kim Clijsters of Belgium may miss the French Open due to a foot injury.

Having come out of retirement recently, Clijsters surged back in the rankings to her current No. 11. However, she is out for up to six weeks after tearing a muscle in her left foot during a Fed Cup singles match against Estonia.

Clijsters beat Maret Ani 6-4, 6-2 Saturday despite discomfort in the foot. The bruising got more painful overnight, forcing her to pull out of Sunday’s second match. Tests at a hospital showed the muscle tear in her foot.