The SEWTA Tour capped its 2007 season with a thrilling match between winner Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova. The 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 match — played over three hours, 24 minutes — was the longest three-set final in tournament history. (It was played as a best-of-five final from 1984-1998.) Jesus, that 12th game of the first set was agonizingly long, and not even in the nail-biting kind of way.
We were surprised about Masha’s late-season run, which came after a nearly two-month layoff due to shoulder injury. (More after the cut…)
Other notes: This is Henin’s 10th title of the season, making her the first since Martina Hingis in 1997 to record double-digit title victories in one season. And her $1 million prize money for the event puts her 2007 earnings at $5,367,086, besting the previous record-setter, fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters. (Kim set the record in 2005, when she won nine titles, including the U.S. Open with its $2.2 million prize, Indian Wells, and Key Biscayne, for a total of $3.4 million.)
The Taiwanese doubles team of Lu Yen-hsun (right) and Hsieh Su-wei (left) beat Danai Udomchoke and Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand 6-4, 6-0 to give their country a spot in next year’s Hopman Cup. Other countries participating include United States, Serbia, France, Australia, Argentina, Czech Republic and defending champion India.
(photos by Getty Images)
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That match was fantastic! But I agree about that decisive game of the first set. It went on forever, but due to terrible tennis not great tennis.
Still, think about it. Henin double-faulted FOUR TIMES in that one game, rarely got a first serve in (her percentage for the set was under 50%) and yet still managed to hang in for twenty minutes and save 7 set points! 7! So, even when she’s playing her worst tennis, she made life very difficult for Sharapova.
And I’m glad to see Maria back in action with her service singing. Of course, I’m happy that Henin pulled it out, but considering that Henin often finishes entire sets in 20 minutes, it was great to see her pushed by another great player.