Serena comes up against quarterfinal nemesis: Henin

Rivals have split 12 matches but Belgian on major roll

FROM THE SONY ERICSSON OPEN IN MIAMI – In the final of the Sony Ericsson Open last year, Justine Henin bageled Serena Williams in the opening set, held two match points in the second as she served for the championship, but eventually broke down to lose 6-0, 5-7, 3-6. Henin will get another shot at Serena on Tuesday in a quarterfinal clash.

“Actually, it’s a very good memory from last year, even if I had match points and I lost the match,” said Henin after beating Russian Elena Vesnina 6-2, 6-2. “It was a day that I understood that I could win against Serena and that I could do it in Grand Slams three times in the same year.” Henin must have been a visionary, because that’s exactly what she went on to do.

This week Henin hasn’t faced an opponent of note yet and she has yet to drop more than six games in a match.

Meanwhile, Serena caught a break in her third round encounter against Italian Flavia Penetta on Sunday, as she was trailing by a set and 3-2 when rain interrupted play. Serena cleaned up on her errors after the delay and won 10 of the last 12 games to win in three sets. She beat Kaia Kanepi from Estonia 6-3, 6-3 to set up the meeting with Henin.

“I definitely feel like I was focused,” said Serena about her win today. “Felt like I had to be. It was definitely a good eye opener, the other match [against Penetta].”

Serena says she is relishing the chance to play Henin, despite her three consecutive losses to her. Most recently at the US Open last year, Henin played a very dominant second set to win 7-6(3), 6-1. Having showed she can beat her American rival on her own turf, the Belgian will unlikely break down again versus Serena like in last year’s final here in Miami.

“I think we have a great rivalry,” says Serena. “We definitely bring out some of the best tennis in each other, and she tends to play really well against me. Probably better against me than [against] other opponents.” It’s getting a little old to hear one of the Williamses talk about how players always seem to play better against them when they beat them or put up a fight, but Serena is right in saying that their rivalry is great, if not the best, in the women’s game.

“It’s very good to have this kind of rivalry, because she’s a champion and I think there was a lot of respect in our matches last year,” said Henin. “Everyone was really excited about our meetings.”

Their head-to-head is now tied at 6-6, but judging by the results from last year, Henin has definitely built up a certain edge in the rivalry. Whereas the Belgian might have had a mental block when she faced Serena in the past, the tables are turning as Williams has been looking tight against Henin at crunch time over their last meetings.

Henin hasn’t been performing at her best this year, while Serena is still only playing in her third event of the season, as she was recovering from dental surgery she had after the Australian Open. Henin suffered a shocking 6-4, 6-0 loss to Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals of the year’s first major, and she fell to the gritty Italian Francesca Schiavone in Dubai, while Serena bowed out to Jelena Jankovic in the quarters in Melbourne.

Henin struggled against a depleted field to win her home event in Antwerp, while Serena also claimed one title this season in Bangalore over Patty Schnyder, after beating Venus in the semifinals.

Henin has been particularly struggling with serve so far this season. She needs a good, consistent delivery tomorrow or she’ll be punished for it by the penetrating returns from Serena. The defending champion needs to be aggressive on every point, and not get dragged into long rallies with the more creative Belgian. If Serena can control her unforced errors like she did today, she’ll be the slight favorite.

ENGAGED RODDICK ON COURSE FOR QUARTERFINAL SHOWDOWN AGAINST FEDERER

Andy Roddick announced his engagement to 20-year-old Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker through his website today, and went on to beat Ivo Minar from the Czech Republic 7-6(4), 6-4 at night. He’ll face Julien Benneteau – who beat his countryman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-3 - in the fourth round and could face Roger Federer in the quarters.

Federer benefited from a retirement from Robin Soderling, who was feeling unwell. Last week in Indian Wells, the Swiss had already gotten a free pass to the semifinals when Tommy Haas withdrew with a sinus infection. “It’s a big difference between not playing at all and playing one-and-a-half sets, so obviously I prefer this,” Federer said about his win over Soderling. He was leading 6-4, 3-0 when the Swede retired.

In other notable results on Monday, Venus Williams convincingly defeated the talented Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark 6-3 6-3 and Lindsay Davenport fell to Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-4, after having upset Indian Wells champ Ana Ivanovic in the third round. On the men’s side, Mario Ancic is continuing his steady comeback by defeating Juan Monaco from Argentina in three sets. He will face Nikolay Davydenko in the fourth round.