Possible Face-Off of Belgian Women

The New York Times

January 20, 2010
At Australian Open, a Possible Face-Off of Belgian Women
By JOE DRAPE
MELBOURNE, Australia — They presumably are working their way to each other, Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin, a pair of Belgian women who know each other well. Clijsters did her part to keep the appointment in the quarter finals, dusting Tamarine Tanasugarn — 6-3, 6-3 — in the second round of the Australian Open here Wednesday.

In fact, it’s hard to see the No. 15-ranked Clijsters missing it. She’s won 20 times against just three losses since returning last summer from a two year self-imposed exile where she married and became a mother. Most impressive among those occurred last summer at Flushing Meadows when Clijsters rolled to a U.S. Open championship in storybook fashion.

It was only her third tournament back from retirement, and she became the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong Cawley at Wimbledon in 1980. Clijsters likes her chances to perhaps capture her third grand slam title here. Earlier this month in a battle of former No. 1-ranked women, she turned back Henin in the finals of the Brisbane International in what was Henin’s comeback tournament after nearly two years off the tour.

Henin will be tested again later Wednesday by Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva in one of the most eagerly anticipated second round match-ups here. Clijsters believes if Henin gets by Dementieva she will benefit from a tough opponent as she did off of their Brisbane match.

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