http://www.henin-hardenne.be/bin/index.asp?lang=en On Five And Still Counting 10/09/2006: Justine entered a bit of tennis history today being only the 7th player in women's professional tennis to play in all four major finals of a grand slam (4x = gs). She would've loved to had made the US OPEN her 6th major title, and 2nd New York trophy, but Maria played more focused, and concise tennis to win 6-4 6-4 in this meeting. Congratulations to Sharapova. Justine started out strong, but as the match went on there was a noticeable lack of punch in shots, and cat like foot speed. Maria on the other hand was extremely focused to the point of being muted from her famed noises when hitting shots. Solid serves from both players, but a bit less consistent for Justine. It was a match oddly lacking in drama from two players that seem to attract it in big matches. Respectful of each others tennis skills, the final was more about concentration. Justine wasn't hitting powerfully as she had done in the Davenport match, and Maria took speed off her groundstrokes to keep them in court for rallies. Sharapova won the match with mature restrained tennis, and Justine lost it being a level below her usual renown aggressive skills. Final score 4-6 4-6 to Sharapova Disappointment is a large part of following tennis. There are two players, and only one wins. After the joy of seeing Justine make it back to finals night at Flushing Meadows supporters are surely heartbroken, but this loss is no tragedy. There is still work to be done. Next weekend on September 16 and 17 Justine will lead her Belgian team for Fed Cup glory against Italy. The Belgian, and Italian team rosters have been released on the official Fed Cup site. Please check your local sports cable for tv times, and the broadcasting list on the Fed Cup site. And on the week of November 7, Justine will cap off her 2006 tennis season in the tournament finale at the WTA championships to be played in Madrid, Spain. The championships will feature the top 8 players in the world based on this season's Sony Ericsson race points. The Belgian lioness is currently #1, and has already officially qualified for the event, while 6 other spots will be fought for during the Asian hardcourt season starting next week, and the European indoor leg of the WTA tour. Allez Justine! --

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