Henin-Hardenne stuns Sharapova, clinches No. 1 http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=2657708 MADRID, Spain -- Justine Henin-Hardenne will finish the year as the top-ranked player in women's tennis after beating Maria Sharapova 6-2, 7-5 (5) Saturday in the semifinals of the WTA Championships. Said a disappointed Maria Sharapova: "I just didn't feel like myself today."Henin-Hardenne beat the Russian for the third time in four meetings this year -- the Belgian's only loss coming in the U.S. Open final. The victory clinched Henin-Hardenne's second year-end No. 1 ranking. Amelie Mauresmo will finish her 34 consecutive weeks as No. 1 at the end of the tournament. "It's amazing. I'm very happy," Henin-Hardenne said. "I'm very happy with the way I handled the pressure today. The season is not over yet. I'm No. 1 but I still want to win this tournament." Henin-Hardenne will face either defending champion Mauresmo or two-time winner Kim Clijsters, who were to play later Saturday in the other semifinal match. Henin-Hardenne can clinch a tour-high sixth title of 2006 in Madrid after missing nearly two months while recovering from a muscle tear in her right knee. The Belgian, who had seven aces, had three service breaks in the first set while forcing Sharapova into 14 unforced errors. Henin-Hardenne converted her fourth break point in the eighth game of the second set to take a 5-3 lead when Sharapova hit a forehand into the net. Sharapova rallied with her first break of the second set when Henin-Hardenne sent a forehand into the net. Both players then held serve to force the tiebreaker. The Russian saved one match point at 6-4 in the tiebreaker, but Henin-Hardenne converted on her second try to give Sharapova only her second loss in 11 tiebreakers this year. "I just didn't feel like myself today," Sharapova said. "I felt a little sluggish. I didn't feel like I was concentrating. "You hope to find a way to break through that, and I felt like I was getting there at the end of the match, but I just couldn't put two or three good points together." Sharapova finished the season with a career-high five titles, including her second Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open. "I've had an amazing year, a very successful year, and I'll finish the highest I have in my career," Sharapova said. "You always think about what went wrong and what could have gone better, but I'm happy with the way I played and just look forward to what I can improve for next year." Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press --

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