CORRECTED: Relaxed Henin looks to end season on a high

(Clarifies that Williams has qualified for Championships seven times but not competed seven times)

By Simon Baskett

MADRID (Reuters) - World number one Justine Henin will face a combination of ambitious newcomers and former winners when she defends her WTA Championships title in Madrid next week.

The 25-year-old Belgian has been in superlative form this season claiming a career-high nine tour trophies, including the grand slam titles at the US Open and Roland Garros.

She heads into the $3 million tournament in Madrid on a 20-match winning streak and although she is aiming to end the season on a high she is not under the same pressure as last year when she was competing for the year-end number one spot.

"I would prefer 10 titles to nine this year for sure, but it's probably for me the most difficult tournament of the year," Henin told Reuters last week.

"It's the best eight players so it's going to be a tough one. I know I'm going to be number one now so it's just going to be a challenge to win the Championships one more time."

Amongst the Belgian's opponents is a rejuvenated Serena Williams who has qualified for the event for the seventh time after powering back into the elite.

The 26-year-old American plummeted to 140 in the rankings last year but an eighth grand slam title at the Australian Open kick-started a comeback that has seen her move up to number five.