Tennis

Serena, Henin to meet in 'Key' final

(AP)
Updated: 2007-03-30 11:24

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. - Serena Williams beat the best the Israeli Army had to offer. Shahar Peer, a 19-year-old corporal, kept things close for an hour before Williams pulled away, winning 7-6 (4), 6-1 Thursday night for a berth in the final at the Sony Ericsson Open.

"I started out really slow," Williams said. "I think I was a little nervous. And then I just finished well."

Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts after winning the first set of her match against Shahar Peer of Israel at the Sony Ericsson Open semifinal tennis match in Key Biscayne, Miami March 29, 2007. [Reuters]

One test remains this week for the rejuvenated Williams: a revival Saturday of her long-dormant rivalry with Justine Henin. The Belgian reached the Key Biscayne final for the first time by beating Anna Chakvetadze 6-2, 6-3.

"Justine has been playing some of the best tennis on the tour," Williams said. "She's doing awesome. This will be a real test of my game."

Henin versus Williams was once a fierce rivalry, but they haven't met since the 2003 Wimbledon semifinals. Williams has won five of their eight meetings, including two of three in Grand Slam events.

"We had a couple of good fights in the past," Henin said. "When she's healthy and really focused, she's a great champion. She has nothing to prove to anyone. She did it in the past. It's great the level she's back to."

Williams struggled early against the 14th-seeded Peer, who came within two points of an upset when they met at the Australian Open in January. In the first set Williams returned poorly, struggled with her backhand and failed to break serve.

But she won 12 consecutive service points to stay even, took a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker and closed out the set with a service winner and a shout, "C'mon!"

Williams earned her first break early in the second set, took a 3-0 lead and punctuated the victory with her seventh ace. Playing her first tournament since winning the Australian title, she's seeking her fourth Key Biscayne title.

With a 14-1 record this year, Williams will climb to at least 12th in next week's rankings. She was ranked as low as 140th in 2006, when she played in only four tournaments.

The top-ranked Henin is a five-time Grand Slam champion, but until this year she had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at Key Biscayne. She says she dislikes the island's windy weather and tends to play poorly in March because it's the anniversary of her mother's death.

"It is a challenge for me," Henin said. "I just live for now. I'm not in the past anymore. I just try to enjoy every moment, not try to project myself too far in the future and forget a little bit of what happened in the past."

Qualifier Guillermo Canas and No. 7 Ivan Ljubicic will meet in the men's semifinals Friday night. Canas, who upset top-ranked Roger Federer for the second time this month in the fourth round, advanced by beating No. 6 Tommy Robredo 7-6 (5), 6-1.

Canas became the first qualifier ever to reach the men's semifinals at Key Biscayne. Ranked 143rd at start of year after returning from a doping suspension, the Argentine will climb back into the top 40 next week.

Ljubicic, last year's runner-up to Federer, is the highest-seeded man in the final four. He defeated No. 23 Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 7-5.

The other semifinal will be between two 19-year-olds, No. 10 Novak Djokovic and No. 12 Andy Murray.

Henin said she has been hindered during the tournament by a breathing problem, possibly allergies, and is taking medication. She barely survived the third round, overcoming a 5-1 deficit in the third set to beat Virginie Razzano.

But against the ninth-seeded Chakvetadze, Henin took charge from the start.

The latest Russian to crack the women's top 10, Chakvetadze played tentatively early and lost the first set in 33 minutes. In the second set, serving at 40-0, she lost five consecutive points to fall behind 2-0.

Henin hit consecutive aces to close out the next game, and saved some of her most aggressive groundstrokes for the final few games. Chakvetadze lost 20 of 35 points on her first serve and was broken five times.

"She did a lot of mistakes," Henin said. "I played the kind of game she doesn't like that much. I had a solution to every ball she was hitting today, and I used my slice a lot."

"Justine can mix her game," Chakvetadze said. "That's why she's No. 1."

Henin reached every major final last year. She's 15-1 this year, but skipped the Australian Open in January because she was going through a divorce.

"Emotionally, I still have to find a good balance," she said. "I had a pretty tough time early in the year."

The Belgian is seeded second but reclaimed the top ranking last week from Maria Sharapova and will remain No. 1 next week.