Kim Clijsters vs Justine Henin in Wimbledon blockbuster
Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters have delivered on what the Wimbledon draw promised – a blockbuster fourth round match between the two Belgian comeback queens who have hardly put a foot wrong is SW19 so far this tournament.
It’s a match that will ensure either Henin, for whom winning Wimbledon and completing a career Grand Slam was a major motivator in her decision to return to tennis, or Clijsters, who already has the US Open title under her belt in part two of her career, will no longer be among the contenders to snatch the Wimbledon crown from Serena Williams’ grasp.
So, who will it be?
Clijsters will enter this match a slight edge over Henin, having won the two matches they have played against one another since the latter relaunched her career this January (their career head-to-head record stands at 12-12) – the first in the final of the Brisbane International and the second in the semi-finals in Miami. Both matches went the distance and were decided 7-6 in the third set.
In the two matches we played each other this year, we've brought out the best in each other,” Clijsters said after her straight sets victory in the third round. “I think they've been a little bit up and down level wise. I think I started off really well in both those matches. She came back well in the second set.”
This though, will be the first time they’ve played one another at a Grand Slam since Henin defeated Clijsters in the semi-finals of the French Open back in 2006.
“It’s great opportunity for both of us,” Henin, who won the grass court UNICEF Open in Holland in the lead-up to Wimbledon, said. “I mean, to play each other again in a Grand Slam, I think it's something we couldn't expect for still a year ago. It's going to be interesting, very exciting.”
We can reasonably expect another a tight tussle between these two equally determine opponents, but perhaps it’s Clijsters who will have the slight edge in this aspect of the game, with the 17th seed struggling a little to close out matches these days, most recently in her second round match at Wimbledon where Henin allowed Kristina Barrois back into the second set after serving for the match at 5-2. After dropping serve twice in a row, the 28-year-old regrouped to win the match 6-3, 7-5.
If Henin leaves the door ajar like that against Clijsters, she can be sure the mum-of-one will come charging through it, and probably slam it shut on what must be her increasing hopes of a maiden Wimbledon title.
While Henin may not be quite the force she was when she shocked the tennis world by quitting in May 2008, she does still have a formidable all-court game, and has been patrolling the net with authority already in her three matches at the All England Club this year, where she has also provided the crowds with a reminder of her considerable ability to create angles with that dangerous single-handed backhand.
Make no mistake, if Clijsters is to win this, she will need to pull out her own big guns, and that’s going to be delivering powerful groundstrokes from the baseline, although the eighth seed is also adept at covering the court when required to do so.
Picking a winner here is no easy task, although Clijsters may just have the edge, but if this match lives up to its billing then it should be the highest quality tussle we’ve seen in the ladies single draw at the All England Club so far this tournament.
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