Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin overcame lapses to win their
Brisbane International quarterfinals Thursday, raising the prospect
of an all-Belgian final between two players making comebacks.
Clijsters, five tournaments into a return from retirement
that has already netted a U.S. Open title, needed four match points
to beat Lucie Safarova 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.
It took Henin 24 minutes between her first match point and
her sixth before she finally put away seventh-seeded Melinda Czink
of Hungary 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5).
Henin, who won seven Grand Slam titles before quitting in May
2008 while holding the No. 1 ranking, is back on tour and grateful
for every match she gets to prepare for the Australian Open
starting Jan. 18 in Melbourne.
"That's the kind of match that I need - not that long
maybe,'' said Henin, who advanced to face another former No. 1, Ana
Ivanovic, who overcame her own wobbles to win 6-4, 7-6 (6) against
18-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Clijsters' semifinal opponent will be Germany's Andrea
Petkovic, who upset fourth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 6-2.
In the men's quarterfinals, defending champion Radek Stepanek
recovered from a break down in the first set to beat American Wayne
Odesnik 7-6 (2), 6-1.
The turning point came when second-seeded Stepanek produced a
stunning return at 30-0 down with Odesnik serving for the first set
at 6-5. His semifinal will be against third-seeded Gael Monfils of
France or veteran American James Blake.
Clijsters raced to a 5-0 advantage before cruising through
the first set against Safarova, but the No. 41-ranked Czech
dominated the second with her serve and powerful forehand.
Clijsters got the crucial break in the fifth game of the
third set, but still struggled to close it out, wasting three match
points at 5-4 before finally clinching the win.
"When I lost the second set 6-0, I said, 'Forget about it,
let's refocus,''' Clijster said. "I'm glad with the win, especially
the way I came back after that not-so-good second set.''
Henin's win over Czink lasted 2 hours, 21 minutes, and she
struggled at times in a match that opened with five straight
service breaks.
She dropped a set for the first time in three matches of her
comeback, and wasted a break and three match points in the third
set. Henin finally clinched it on her sixth match point after
earning a 6-3 lead with an ace in the tiebreaker.
"I wouldn't say it's a good feeling, but it's probably
something I needed,'' Henin said. "In the end it was quite tight
and nerves had to be solid.''
Henin decided to return to the tour after seeing Clijsters
win the U.S. Open in September, three tournaments into her
comeback.
Henin's first match back was a 7-5, 7-5 win Monday over
second-seeded Nadia Petrova, then she won 6-4, 6-3 over No.
132-ranked Sesil Karatantcheva of Kazakhstan.
She is playing on wildcard entries in Brisbane this week and
Sydney next week ahead.
"It's great, to play a fourth match in a row now,'' Henin
said. "It's more than what I could expect coming here. I needed
matches -- I got them.''
Ivanovic won her only Grand Slam at the 2008 French Open, not
long after Henin retired, but she didn't win a tournament in 2009
and has dropped to No. 21 in the rankings.
The 22-year-old credited boyfriend Adam Scott, who has been
as high as No. 3 in the world golf rankings and is supporting her
in Brisbane, for helping her learn to keep calm.
"I get very emotional on court and I have highs and lows.
That's something I've learned from him, to be more patient and just
to be more in control of what's happening out there,'' Ivanovic
said. "Still, I get excited. There's a lot of Adrenalin when it's
close. And when it's second set, tiebreaker, I just let myself go
sometimes.''
