By DPA,
Brisbane: Kim Clijsters won the battle of Belgium Saturday as the reigning US Open champion started 2010 with a defeat of rival Justine Henin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) in the final of the Brisbane International.
Clijsters won the Grand Slam title in New York the last time she stepped onto a WTA court, cementing her comeback to the sport on her third event back after retiring to have a child.
Henin was making her own return to the sport this week after stepping away for 20 months due to burnout.
Henin, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, saved three match points in the final-set tiebreak, but Clijsters made her winning point on her fourth chance.
The struggle took nearly two and a half hours, with Clijsters overcoming nine double-faults while forcing Henin to save ten break points out of 16.
On the men’s side of the draw, Andy Roddick takes victories in five of their six previous matches into a Sunday clash with second seed Radek Stepanek for that title.
Roddick staged a comeback to overhaul Czech fourth seed Tomas Berdych, advancing 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 into the Stepanek meeting.
The pair last met in February, with Roddick winning the Memphis title over the Czech after losing to Stepanek in a semi-final the week before in California.
“I wanted to come here and play well, get better with each match and get matches in,” said the American. “That’s my biggest thing – I’d love to win here.
“The goal is to be prepared for Melbourne and I feel like that has been accomplished for the most part.
“Now the business end of the tournament, you want to try to go as far as you can.”
Roddick, playing in his first event since an October knee injury, was out-aced seven to 12 from Berdych. The Czech saved ten of a dozen break points against his serve in defeat.
Defending champion Stepanek, seeded second, continued his top start-of-year form, taking just an our to crush French third seed Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-1.
“I was moving much, much better and I am improving my game and I am very, very happy,” said Stepanek. “Being in the finals is a great feeling – I have one more to go.”
The 31-year-old is pleased with a fast 2010 takeoff: “I keep improving every day. I’m looking forward to it – winning titles back-to- back.
“My game is to change the rhythm, change the pace. I’ll try and do it again in the final.”
Monfils, who competed this week as Australian coach Roger Rasheed recovered form an illness, complained of shoulder problems. “He was playing well, better than me,” said the Frenchman.
“I was a bit tired and my shoulder was a bit sore.”
Stepanek was having none of it: “Everybody has small issues every week and in our first tournament already people are receiving treatment. I don’t think anyone I played, it (injury) affected the match.
“When I broke him to go 4-0 up in the second set, he knew that breaking me twice to get back into the match would be a very difficult thing.
“I also broke him mentally then. Mental toughness – that’s 80 per cent of the game. I’m using my experience against guys who are like 20, that can help me, but it is important to be physically fit.”