Last time when I mentioned these two they could have potentially met in the second round of Sydney, the warm up tournament for the Australian Open. Unfortunately for the die hard tennis fans like myself we didn’t get a chance to see that potential clash between these two ladies because Justine Henin pulled out due to an injury. Whatever the case maybe that potential match up has now become a reality and we will have a chance to see because they both are scheduled to play in the Australian Open Finals on Saturday.
Who will prevail? Who will hold serve? I say this because both players as of late have had a little trouble holding their own serve. Justine more so than Serena in that department. Until Serena’s match against Victoria Azarenka she didn’t get broken and was the only player male or female remaining to do that in the Championships. It will really come down to who will be able to hold their own serve. This will be the key for the potential winner.
Justine Henin has had some trouble here at the Australian Open with her serve, which has been the only shaky part of her game. Yeah, she has missed some easy volleys and has had some unforced errors, but you have to give her credit for making it to the finals. It seems like she is getting better with every round that she plays. She showed this with her dominate win over China’s Jie Zheng which lasted a total of 51 minutes 6-1 6-0.
Serena Williams on the other hand has alot more wear and tear on her body. Serena really hasn’t had a day off since she stepped on to the court at the Australian Open. Must players have a day off but on her off day’s she been playing doubles matches with her sister Venus. It paid off because they won the doubles titles against black/huber. People have criticized Serena for not playing enough tennis, but has she played too much tennis? Justine seems to be the fresher of the two because she has had a chance to rest on her off days. Also, the defending champion has just above everything wrapped in her lower extremities.
So who will win the 2010 Australian Open title Serena Williams or Justine Henin? It is a very tough call to make in my opinion. You can side with Justine because she is the fresher of the two and she is looking pretty impressive here. But on the flip side her serve hasn’t looked all the great. Serena could be all over Justine’s first and second serve. You could also side with Serena because she has never lost a final at the Australian Open and she is an incredible fighter. If she is in the zone like she was at the 2007 and 2009 Australian Open Henin might not have a chance. However, Serena has not had chances to rest and looks fatigued and seems like she is just relying on her indomitable spirit and her ability to fight. But will it be enough against a solid Justine if Serena doesn’t bring her A game.
As I said tough call to make but this final has all the potential of being very entertaining. Henin leads Serena 7-6 in their life time head to head. Could Serena turn the ties and even the playing field. This is a Final you don’t want to miss!
