Henin edges past Dementieva in Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Justine Henin got away with lapses of concentration at the end of each set to beat unseeded Russian Elena Dementieva 6-4 6-4 and book a semi-final place at the Stuttgart Grand Prix on Friday.
Henin, playing only her second match since winning the U.S. Open, took a 5-0 lead in the first but missed two chances to serve out before a Dementieva double-fault saw her home.
The world number one was uncharacteristically wasteful in the second set, too, losing her serve at 5-3 before clinching the match with a break back in the final game.
Henin next faces the third-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic, after an injury to Nadia Petrova forced the defending champion to retire in the second set of their quarter-final.
Petrova had won the first set on a tie-break before suffering a recurrence of a left hip injury, finally calling it a day when she trailed 5-1 in the second.
Unseeded Tatiana Golovin of France was the first player through to the semis at the $650,000 indoor tournament. She beat Ukrainian Kateryna Bondarenko 6-3 6-4 with minimal fuss to book a meeting with Serena Williams or Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Henin, who enjoyed almost a month off after winning her seventh grand slam title in New York in September, looked at her untouchable best as she moved 5-0 ahead against Dementieva.
That changed when the Russian grabbed a break back for 1-5 and added the next three games before self-destructing on set-point, much to Henin's relief.
"You know, she's a good fighter, and I experienced that again today," Henin said on court after her win.
Jankovic looked in trouble against Petrova in the first set and it was only when the Russian was clearly feeling the effects of her injury that she got the upper hand.
"I was really surprised she didn't play on, but I know how it feels to play with pain so I wish her a speedy recovery," Jankovic said at a news conference.
"Now I'll go after Henin. I've got nothing to lose."
