Once again, Serena Williams is the queen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. By defeating Justine Henin, the formidable Belgian comeback kid, in three sets 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, Williams claimed her fifth Australian open single title and her 12th championship at a major grand slam tournament. On Friday, less than 24 hours earlier, Serena and Venus Williams clinched the doubles title, defeating top-seeded doubles specialists Cara Black (Zimbabwe) and Liezel Huber (U.S.) handily 6-4, 6-3.
The women's final was riveting, with two seasoned champions and wily competitors slugging it out, doggedly, playing generally at a very high level, and the momentum shifting. The 27-year-old Henin has a resume comparable to that of 28-year-old Williams, with seven grand slam wins, including a win in Australia in 2004.
Both players looked uncomfortable and displayed grim determination and few smiles throughout the joyless but fascinating two hour, seven minute contest. Neither player connected with the crowd. Although the final score does not look all that close, in fact Henin scored just five fewer points throughout the match. This reflects Williams' success at digging deep to win key points at critical junctures throughout the match—a hallmark of her tennis career.
This was the physically slight and non-flashy Henin's 11th match since returning from a one-season layoff (a brief retirement), during which she worked systematically to make changes in her technique and strategy. Expert commentators, such as Mary Joe Fernandez on the Tennis Channel, noted that she was moving in to the net frequently, even when that might not have been the ideal response in all instances. She also had difficulties with her serve, racking up six double faults and a low 50 percent first serve percentage
