[TatiAnnahølic]

Anna Kournikova (RUS) vs. Justine Henin (BEL)

1999-11-08 Philadelphia Indoor Carpet R32 Justine Henin (BEL) 7-6(6) 6-4
2000-08-28 U.S. Open Hardcourt R32 Justine Henin (BEL) 6-4 7-6(5)

 

[Tatiana Panova]

Henin will probably win, but Anna could still take her is Henin if slightly off.

 

[Scotso]

I love both players, but I like Justine a bit more, and I think that if she plays at least pretty well she'll beat Anna.

 

[Hurley]

This is the worst first round draw in history. I love them both so much, and one of them will lose first round. Terrible.

Justine has the edge and has been playing at a higher level for the past year, but if she gets nervous thinking about the pressure of being the 6 seed and the points to defend, Anna definitely has all of the shots to take her out.

I really have no idea who is going to win, but I hope whoever does goes far!

 

[Hurley]

Although, I guess Anna also has to worry about point defense as well.

But Justine has more to lose, or at least she is going into the match feeling that way. So if she starts to get nervous, we could be in for a real dogfight...

 

[The Crow]

I have a bad feeling about this one, so I picked Anna

 

[TatiAnnahølic]

C`MON KOURNIKOVA!!!!!!

 

[gentenaire]

Joris, you pessimist!
Henin will win this hands down.

 

[saki]

I hate this matchup! Grrrr.

As for who'll win it. I think both are pretty equal as far as groundstrokes go. It'll come down to who serves best, who returns best & who is more aggressive (in particular coming into net).

Both have decent serves when they go in and both are very aggressive. I give Henin the edge because I think she returns better.

I'd prefer to see Anna win though as she really really needs the points...

 

[carot]

don't like this one bit :sniff:

 

[GrandSlammed]

Henin can do just about everything better than Kournikova.

So Henin... straight sets... maybe even a bagel.

 

[Philip]

Anna CAN do it!!!

 

[sickish1]

This is a must win for Anna. She has a lot of points to defend and a loss will drop her ranking out of the top 100.

If Anna plays like she did in her last match against Serena I think she has a good chance to pull off the upset.

GO ANNA!

 

[Miranda]

I thnk Henin

 

[apoet29]

I would say that players have something to lose in this match. I'm sure that both ladies looked at the drawn and let out a loud groan when they saw this first round match!

For Anna, she has a great deal of points to defend from her quarterfinal showing last year. With her ranking @ stake, plus the fact that her most recent loss to Henin came @ a grand slam will weigh heavily on her mind when she steps on the court. On the downside, if she loses, her ranking will then fall out of the top 100. In addition, she will most likely face a seeded player early on in most tournaments, which will make it difficult for her to get her ranking back up. On the plus side for Anna, if she does lose, she has no points to defend after February and her Gold Exempt Status will guarantee her unlimited wildcards into most tournaments.

Justine experienced the first breakout of her career in Australia last year. On the downside, she will experience what Martina Hingis refers to as the downside of being a top contender. Now she will be the one that lower ranked players will go after. On the plus side, Henin is a fighter on the court and rarely loses to anyone ranked below her. In addition, her game has seen vast improvements since the last time she and Anna played each other.

Having said that, both players are currently playing well. Henin made the finals of the Gold Coast and won the doubles title there. She made the quarters of the Adidas and the semis in the doubles. Kournikova went 4-2 in exho matches and made the semis of Auckland and the doubles final @ the Adidas.

Personally, while Anna could definantly benefit from a upset @ this stage in her career, I do think that Justine will prevail.

BTW, did anyone see the preview of MTV's Making the Video of Enrique Ingeslias (sp?) with Anna. Very hot stuff! A lot of kissing with scenes that will take place in a bathroom, the front seat of a car and etc! Sergei will be very jealous when he sees it!

 

[GoSandrine]

This is the most intriguing first round matchup I can remember in years! I hope it's televised in the States.

Justine is obviously the favorite here but you never know. I remember an unseeded Anna bouncing Sandrine out in the first round at Wimbledon the year before last all too vivdly.

 

[apoet29]

This is the most intriguing first round matchup I can remember in years! I hope it's televised in the States.

Justine is obviously the favorite here but you never know. I remember an unseeded Anna bouncing Sandrine out in the first round at Wimbledon the year before last all too vivdly.

Very true. I remember that match. It was an amazing first round match. Very up and down, but Anna ultimately prevailed, I think, for two reasons. First, grass suits her game perfectly. In fact, I would not be surprised if Anna won a grass tournament as her first title. Second, Sandrine has not beaten Anna in years, but Anna was amazing in that match. She really hung in there. That is why her loss to Sidot was huge shock! Unfortunately, after an emotional win, Anna does not seem to have anything left for the next match.

 

[gentenaire]

Let's hope Belgian TV will broadcast it.

 

[Williams Rulez]

I think Henin.... but I say what a horrible first round match this is!!

 

[matthias]

good luck justine