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WTA Tennis- Henin Eliminated by Stosur in the Fourth Round


The Belgian Justine Henin put an end to her 24 consecutive victories streak at Roland Garros after Samantha Stosur eliminated her Monday in the fourth round of the French Open by 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, in one hour and 46 minutes.

In her first Roland Garros since her retirement in May 2007, Henin was unable to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament that she has won four times. Three of these came consecutively in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

These two players had played only once in the WTA circuit, over the same surface in Stuttgart, Germany earlier this year. In their previous match the four-time champion at Roland-Garros won in three sets (6-4, 2-6 and 6-1).

In the first set, Henin was imposing her game with superiority and with her strong single-handed backhand won the first set by 2-6. The Australian made some errors at the beginning and seemed a little nervous in that first set.

However, in the second set the Australian rised her game and got her confidence back by breaking Henin’s serve and smashing some important points that Henin couldn’t control. Stosur tied the match by winning the second set 6-1.

During the third set, both players were playing quite aggressively. They were hoping to take the decisive set and win the match. Despite been up by one game the Australian suffered a break in the sixth game and Henin made the score 3-3. Nevertheless, Stosur maintained her composure and returned the break to put the score on her favor with a 5-4. After that, the Australian finished the match with her service after one hour and 46 minutes of play, winning the final set with a 6-4 score.

At the end of the match, Henin said that she knew this tournament would be difficult since she is still not at her best and it will take her some time to get back in top shape. She knows she has to work harder for the next tournaments and learn from this experience. Henin accepted she was a little upset and nervous during the match.

"I knew 2010 would be difficult. I took this year as a year of transition. All the expectations are coming from the outside. Everyone saw me at the level I was. It took me many years to get to that level. I was really here to play match to match. I didn't consider myself as the favorite," expressed the Belgian.

On the other hand, Stosur said she was more than happy on her victory against Henin and stated that during the game she knew that she could get the win if she kept her concentration and focus in the match.

“I can’t believe it, I’m so happy to be through. After the first set, I told myself to keep going. I knew what I had to do. I just had to do it. After the double-fault on match point, I just shook it off, had a laugh and didn’t worry about it. I knew I had some more good serves. I just played the point out,” expressed the Australian.

Now Stosur will be facing the American and world No.1, Serena Williams in the next match of the quarterfinals. Williams defeated Israel’s Shahar Peer in the fourth round with a 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and seven minutes. This was Serena’s fifth victory over the Israeli.

About the Author

Ally White has been a prominent writer on daily Tennis Games reviews, sports news and sports betting industry updates for many exceptional sports web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.