The sun went down on them Saturday night but former No.1s and multiple Grand Slam champions Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin rose again on Sunday to complete their blockbuster third round match. And the queen of clay was able to squeak through, as Henin clinched it, 62 36 63.Play was stopped after the two split sets, with Sharapova regrouping after a first set blowout to truly assert herself - and her huge ground game - against the four-time French Open champion. Sharapova winning the second set meant Henin's sets record at the French - 40 straight, including the 6-2 from earlier in the evening - would come to an end, meaning she would equal Helen Wills Moody's record and not break it. With bad light after 9pm, both players agreed to stop.
Sharapova, the No.12 seed, came out stronger upon resumption, winning the first two games and holding break points with Henin serving 0-2; No.22 seed Henin clawed her way through every point as Sharapova pounded big forehands and backhands with pinpoint accuracy, but she managed to claw just enough, winning six of the last seven games to complete the triumph.
"At 3-0 with two breaks, it would have been difficult to come back," Henin said. "She was putting a lot of pressure on me. I knew she was going to come out very aggressively. I was ready for that, but apparently not enough in the beginning. I started coming to the net and that gave me my confidence back."
Henin has now won 24 straight matches at Roland Garros, closing in on the records of Chris Evert (29) and Monica Seles (25). The Belgian is also now a perfect 26-0 lifetime in Grand Slam third round matches.
Next up for Henin is No.7 seed Samantha Stosur, who she has played just once, winning in the final of Stuttgart in April - in three sets.
"We played a tough one in Stuttgart. She's a great player on clay," Henin said. "I'm very happy I'm still in this French Open, and I just want to keep going, keep winning. I'll have to be at a good level if I want to win that one."
Sharapova had her own streak going, winning seven matches in a row - she won her second title of the year in Strasbourg last week and two more matches here.
"I just didn't have enough on this particular day," Sharapova said after the match. "I definitely played some good tennis. And at the end of the day, no matter how good or bad you play, she's the one with the W.
"There's a good lot of work to do. I know the things that hurt me. I just want to go back on the court and work on them. I know it'll help me in the future."
Other seeds who lost were No.2 seed Venus Williams, who fell to Russian No.19 seed Nadia Petrova 64 63; No.14 seed Flavia Pennetta, who lost to No.3 seed Caroline Wozniacki with a score of 76(5) 67(4) 62; and No.30 seed Maria Kirilenko, who ousted the defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the previous round, succumbed to No.17 seed Francesca Schiavone with a score of 64 64. Elena Dementieva advanced though, beating qualifier Chanelle Scheepers with a score of 61 63.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Singles - Fourth Round
(19) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. (2) Venus Williams (USA) 64 63
(3) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. (14) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 76(5) 67(4) 62
(5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (Q) Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 61 63
(17) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. (30) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 64 64
Singles - Third Round
(22) Justine Henin (BEL) d. (12) Maria Sharapova (RUS) 62 36 63
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