http://0rz.tw/632OL Ball-girl looks belie Henin's dominance of the women's game Watching Justine Henin's latest procession against the 15th seed Patty Schnyder, two words came to mind: Roger Federer. Sean Ingle July 2, 2007 2:53 PM Centre Court, ladies finals day, 2001. Venus Williams, 6ft 1in tall and 12 stone of muscle, against Justine Henin, eight inches smaller and three stone lighter. The mismatch many predict doesn't quite materialise - Williams wins 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 after a second-set wobble - but it matters little, for afterwards everyone agrees that this is the future of the women's game: power tennis played by six-footers with big, bludgeoning ground strokes. Six years on, however, it is not Venus, Serena, Jennifer or Lindsay who is No1 in the world, but the vegan-armed Henin, who at 25 could still pass for a ball-girl - until she puts racket on ball. Her cracked whip of a forehand is impressive; her rasping, can't-pause-for-breath one-handed backhand astounding. Indeed, watching her 56-minute, 6-1, 6-2 procession against 15th seed Patty Schnyder - one of many on tour who has amassed a million-dollar bank balance by being a perennial fourth-round loser - two words came to mind: Roger Federer. It's not as trite a comparison as it sounds. Both have a similar two-shots-ahead anticipation that makes them appear quicker than opponents; both have an all-court game which is rare in modern tennis; and both accumulate trophies with the speed of a rag 'n' bone man collecting junk. On that score Federer is ahead, but Henin is closer to him than you'd think. She has six grand slams compared to Federer's 10; 34 singles titles compared to Federer's 48. Her tournament record this year is better: 36 matches and just three defeats compared to Federer's 30-5 record. She remains in his slipstream. If she was five inches taller she might even be ahead of him. Really, Henin is that good. Certainly she deserves more praise for dominating her rivals despite being physically smaller and weaker than them. How does she do it? Partly it's down to timing and technique, which allows her to generate the power to startle even the quickest opponent. Then there's her tennis brain and speed around court plus a relentless desire to iron out her weaknesses. These days Henin's first serve fizzes through the air at 110-115mph while her volley, according to one ex-pro I spoke to today, ranks alongside Amelie Mauresmo's as the best in the women's game. It wasn't always that way - something many on the tour would do well to learn from. So far in this year's tournament, Henin has dropped only 14 games in four matches. But next up is likely to be Serena Williams, two-time Wimbledon champion and - despite her official ranking of seven - the second-best player in the world. When they met a month ago at Roland Garros, Henin matched her blow-for-blow, shot-for-shot, before triumphing in straight sets. But this is grass, a surface made for Serena's power tennis. Another huge test could await. --

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