Henin-Hardenne retains French Open title

10 June 2006

BRUSSELS — Justine Henin-Hardenne successfully defended her French Open title with a straight sets victory over Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova on Saturday.

The Belgian won 6-4 6-4 to claim her third French title at Roland Garros in four years.

Henin-Hardenne broke Kuznetsova in the opening game and eventually took out the first set. In the second, she came back from a break down.

But she converted her second match point to win in one hour and 36 minutes. It was her fifth Grand Slam crown in total.

Henin-Hardenne won the Austrialian Open in 2004 and the US Open in 2003. She has won a total of 26 tournaments during her career.

“I’m delighted to get my third win here, it has been a fantastic tournament and it is a fantastic feeling to win again. It’s a really special feeling playing here, it’s unique and I love playing here,” she said.

Henin-Hardenne collected EUR 940,000 in prize money and will climb from fifth to third position in the WTA rankings.

Subject: Belgian news