Mauresmo wins Grand Slam title as Justine Henin-Hardenne quits
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-28 13:59

MELBOURNE, Australia - Amelie Mauresmo won her first Grand Slam title Saturday, dominating Justine Henin-Hardenne before the Belgian retired in the second set of the Australian Open final because of stomach pain.

France's Amelie Mauresmo holds her trophy after winning the women's singles final against Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. Mauresmo won the match 6-1, 2-0 and 0-30 when Henin-Hardenne retired from the Australian Open final. [AP]

Mauresmo won the first set 6-1 and was leading 2-0 in the second when Henin-Hardenne walked to the net and told the chair umpire she could not continue.

It ended a frustrating, seven-year wait for Mauresmo, who lost the 1999 Australian Open final to Martina Hingis and had not reached another Grand Slam championship match since.

Mauresmo had the second-longest wait for her first major title in the Open era, taking 32 Grand Slam tournaments to win a final. Jana Novotna won Wimbledon in 1998, her 45th major.

"It's been such a long time, and yet I still don't know what to say," Mauresmo said. "All the people that still believed in me, after seven years — it's a long time. Not only myself, but people who're working with me, believed me and pushed me, even when I was down.

"Maybe we found the way, maybe we'll try to keep going."

The men's final is Sunday at 3:30 a.m. EST, with top-ranked Roger Federer set to face 20-year-old Marcos Baghdatis.

Henin-Hardenne held for the only time in the sixth game, when Mauresmo sent a forehand just wide. She lost the first set in 33 minutes on consecutive forehand errors and got only 29 percent of her first serves in.

Belgium's Justine Henin-Hardenne sits with her head covered in a towel after she retired in the second set of the women's singles final against France's Amelie Mauresmo at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2006. Mauresmo won the match 6-1, 2-0 and 0-30 when the Henin-Hardenne retired from the Australian Open final. [AP]

Mauresmo broke serve and then held again to lead 2-0 in the second before Henin-Hardenne called for the trainer. She lost two more points before retiring.

"I was feeling so sick and I couldn't stay longer on the court," Henin-Hardenne said. "I'm feeling very disappointed to end the tournament this way.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find a little bit more. I want to say congratulations to Amelie, she has waited so long to get her first Grand Slam title."

It was the second consecutive match and third in the tournament that an opponent retired due to illness or injury against Mauresmo.

Michaella Krajicek retired with heat stress in the third round and second-seeded Kim Clijsters retired after turning her ankle early in the third set of their semifinal on Thursday.

Henin-Hardenne, who has four Grand Slam singles titles and was on a 13-match winning streak at Melbourne Park, burst into tears when she reached a courtside chair after quitting.

Mauresmo spoke to her at the net, then walked back on court and waved both arms to the crowd, choking back tears of emotion.

"I was very in control, I didn't let the emotions end this time," Mauresmo said. "I thought this could be my day, this could be the moment for me."

Storms outside produced the only thunder of the match. The roof was closed on Rod Laver Arena, trapping several birds inside, and they chirped loudly throughout.

Henin-Hardenne had been a slow starter in the last two rounds, dropping the first set against Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals and Maria Sharapova in the semis before rallying.

It looked to be the same against Mauresmo as the Belgian lost 19 of the first 24 points, committing a rash of mistakes.

Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium (L) poses with Amelie Mauresmo of France before the women's single final at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2006. [Reuters]

Mauresmo broke for the second time, setting up break point with a shot that dribbled over the net, and Henin-Hardenne couldn't get back even though she was standing right there. Shouts of "Come on Justine!" came from the crowd, but Mauresmo held to make it 5-0, fending off the only break point she faced.

Henin-Hardenne finally held in the next game to pull to 5-1, sparking a loud ovation and suggestions that she might be pulling herself together.

But as the match wore on, Mauresmo seemed to sense that her opponent was off her game or ill. She was increasingly content just to keep the ball in play until Henin-Hardenne made a mistake.

There were only nine combined winners in the nine games and 31 unforced errors, 20 by Henin-Hardenne. Her shoulders repeatedly slumped after missing shots that she normally would have been smacking for winners.

Afterward, Mauresmo sat and hung her head, seemingly stunned and overwhelmed. She finally got up and rose her arms in triumph as French flags fluttered in the stands, still looking less than triumphant as Henin-Hardenne wept.

On the men's side, Federer advanced to the championship match with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory Friday over Nicolas Kiefer. Federer is aiming for his third consecutive major title after winning at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2005.