MELBOURNE, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Serena Williams and Justine Henin both defeated Chinese players Thursday to reach the championship match of the Australian Open.
Williams, the defending champion, had to battle to get past Na Li 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-1), giving her a chance to win her 11th Grand Slam title. It was the 50th match win at the Australian Open for Williams, who has captured all of her four previous finals in the event.
Henin continued an amazing comeback from a retirement that kept her away from the game for more than a year. She returned this month and was the runner-up at a tuneup event in Brisbane and Thursday she crushed Zheng Jie 6-1, 6-0.
"This is more than a dream," Henin said. "It is a surprise. The match (against Williams Saturday) will be a tough one against the best player in the world."
Henin owns a 4-2 record against Williams in their Grand Slam meetings but this will be their first confrontation in a major championship final. Henin has won seven major crowns, most recently the 2007 U.S. Open. This is her first major appearance since the 2008 Australian Open.
Williams is still alive in the tournament only because of a stunning rally against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals Wednesday. Williams was down a set and trailed 4-0 in the second before staging the comeback.
