Top-ranked Justine Henin and world No. 19 Tatiana Golovin defeated their semifinal opponents Saturday to reach the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Justine Henin beat third seed Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, while Tatiana Golovin disposed of second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets 6-2 6-4.
Jankovic’s hopes of driving home a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet are over, as superior Henin improved to 8-0 career record against the Serb. From 2-5 down in the first set, Jankovic fought her way back to force a tie-break, which the Belgian won 7-2. Jankovic held three break points for a 5-1 lead in the second set, but Henin then started playing her best tennis. She hit a perfect lob to win the game and, with Jankovic beginning to tire, Henin began dominating. She broke serve for a 6-5 lead and the match was over when Jankovic netted a drop volley attempt.
Tatiana Golovin reached the final of the tournament in Stuttgart for the second consecutive year by upsetting Russian world No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova. Surprisingly, Golovin now holds a 3-1 head-to-head edge on Kuznetsova.
Justine Henin and Tatiana Golovin have faced each other twice, and the Belgian won both times.
