Justine Henin underlined her status as the world's best player by winning her second US Open title with another gritty display of perfection on Saturday. On the men's side, to seed Roger Federer remained on course for his fourth consecutive title by beating stubborn Russian Nikolay Davydenko 7-5 6-1 7-5 in the semi-finals.
The Swiss maestro will face Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final after the young Serb defeated Spain's David Ferrer 6-4 6-4 6-3. Henin overwhelmed fourth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 6-3 in just 82 minutes. "This one is maybe the most important one," the seven-times grand slam winner told reporters.
"The quality I played in the last few matches is amazing. I had a tough draw and I had a lot of things to prove to myself - not to anyone else. And I did." Henin, winner of this year's French Open, converted four of eight break-point opportunities against Kuznetsova, while the Russian failed on all six chances against the diminutive 25-year-old Belgian.
"I was a bit scared before the match that I would be tired, not being aggressive enough," said Henin, who also won the US Open in 2003. "So I pushed myself on every point. I just kept the intensity all the time and I was there in the rallies.
"I didn't give her a lot of free points."
Firing off both wings with laser-like accuracy, Henin rolled through the tournament without losing a set, beating former champions Serena and Venus Williams along the way. She is the only player to beat both Williams sisters in a tournament and go on to win the event.
"When she plays her best game I have to play my best game," said Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion who trailed 4-0 before most of the 23,733 in the National Tennis Center had located their seats. "I didn't play my best game so that's why I lost. I felt I just didn't move to the ball well enough because I was pretty tight. I've got to learn a lot out of this final and improve."
Kuznetsova's path through the draw was made easier by the third-round elimination of defending champion Maria Sharapova but she will still move up to number two when the rankings are released on Monday. "When I go to play finals I wish I play at my best, and today I didn't do so," said Kuznetsova, who has played in five finals in 2007 but won only one - when her opponent retired.
Henin has won three of the four grand slams with only the Wimbledon silverware missing from her trophy case. She had made the final twice but has been unable to triumph in the world's most prestigious tournament.
"Am I going to win Wimbledon one day?," she said. "I keep thinking that I can do it. But now I just think about my seven grand slams, and it just starts to be an amazing number for me."
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