Henin Captures US Open for Seventh Grand Slam Title
2007/09/08
http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/newsroom/stories/?ContentID=1685
NEW YORK, NY, USA - She had to overcome one of the most difficult draws
possible to get there, but once she stepped foot on Arthur Ashe Stadium on
Saturday night there were no battle scars in sight. Having earned
back-to-back wins against the Williams sisters in her last two rounds,
Justine Henin again showcased her all-court brilliance in the 2007 US Open
final, shining in prime time with a 61 63 victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova
for her second US Open and the seventh overall Grand Slam title of her career.
After blowing through her first four matches - dropping just 11 games and
averaging just under an hour per match - Henin came face-to-face with the
prospect of playing both Williamses at the same Slam, a daunting path
survived just once before, at the 2001 Australian Open. Like Martina Hingis
did over six years ago, Henin rose to the challenge, conquering Serena in the
quarters, 76(3) 61, and Venus in the semis, 76(2) 64. But unlike Hingis down
under, Henin's road wouldn't end there.
As opposed to a depleted Hingis' performance against Jennifer Capriati,
Henin's game seemed even sharper in the early goings against Kuznetsova; she
blazed through the first set in just 33 minutes. Kuznetsova would find her
rhythm early in the second set, building a 40-0 lead to hold for 2-all, but
her ever-predating opponent pounced at the opportunity for another break,
which ended up being all she would need. Henin went up 3-1 and the two held
serve until it was all over.
"The quality I played in the last few matches is amazing," Henin said. "It's
just a great feeling because I had a tough draw, and I've had a lot of things
to prove to myself - not to anyone else, just myself - and I did it. Not many
of people thought that I could win this Open with the draw I had, and I did
it. It's amazing for me."
Henin fittingly clinched the title victory up at net. She drew Kuznetsova in
with a drop volley, and off the get she would hit a lob volley, which the
Russian couldn't even make a play for. Henin rushed the net early and often
against all seven of her victims this fortnight, winning nearly three
quarters of 112 approaches.
Henin now has one Australian Open, four French Opens and two US Opens.
"This was maybe the most important one," Henin said. "I felt confident
arriving in New York. I knew Serena and Venus would be dangerous - especially
Venus. She was a big favorite. And we proved it yesterday, it was a high
quality match.
今年的美網是最重要的一個，海寧如是說，我到達紐約時感到信心十足，我知道小威和大
威是十分危險的，尤其是大威，她也是一個十分被看好的選手，我們昨天證明了這件事，
和大威的比賽真的是一場高質量的賽事。
But her seventh - which, incidentally, puts her second only to eight-time
winner Serena Williams among active players - certainly didn't come from
being lucky.
"I've given everything to tennis for 20 years and it will be like that for
the next few years. I'm just going to try to enjoy my game on the court, win
as many matches as possible, and just stay healthy. We'll see what's going to
happen."
Although she didn't hoist the trophy in the end, Kuznetsova can draw
positives from her fortnight. Not only did she reach her third career Grand
Slam final, this being her second at the US Open after winning it in 2004,
she also secured a rise to the No.2 ranking, making her just the third
Russian ever to go that high.
But in losing to Henin for the 15th time in their 17 meetings, Kuznetsova
also left the court knowing she had chances in the final, despite the
lopsided score line.
"I think the match was much closer than the score; I had so many
opportunities, but with players at such a high level like her, you only have
a few chances, and if you don't use them there's no way you're going to win,"
Kuznetsova said. "I think I can learn a lot from this final. There are things
in my game I have to work on."
Several emerging stars made breakout runs in Flushing Meadows, perhaps most
notably Polish teen Agnieszka Radwanska, who stunned No.2 seed and defending
champion Maria Sharapova en route to a fourth round finish. Other surprises
included Israeli Shahar Peer, who became the first from her nation to make
the US Open quarters, and Agnes Szavay, who achieved the same feat for
Hungary.
Also among the overachievers in New York was one of the hottest commodities
in this summer's hardcourt lead-up, Anna Chakvetadze, who made it to her
career-first Grand Slam semifinal as the No.6 seed, falling to No.4 seed
Kuznetsova.
The fortnight clearly belonged to Henin, though. In a Slam season that began
with her absence in Australia due to personal reasons, she has rebounded with
two titles and a renewed sense of belonging at the very apex of women's
tennis.
"I didn't really know what to expect from this season - it started out pretty
badly for me. But I just kept fighting and came back probably stronger.
"When I was a little girl I dreamt of winning just one Grand Slam in my
career, and now I've won seven. It's still hard to believe I've done it. All
these numbers talking to me, they give me a lot of confidence. It's more than
a dream."
後面的部分內容前面的新聞都有中譯啦 ^^
摘自WTA官網的文章
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