Justine Henin-Hardenne added to her French Open and U.S. Open titles by winning a third Grand Slam title at the 2004 Australian Open. Going into the tournament as the top seed and No. 1 player in the world, Henin-Hardenne impressed all with precision accuracy and a never give up attitude. She breezed through the field, losing only one set, that in the final against No. 2 Kim Clijsters.
It was another matchup of the Belgians in a Grand Slam final. Henin-Hardenne beat Clijsters in the final of the 2003 French Open and the 2003 U.S. Open, both in straight sets.
Recently engaged to Australian and former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt, Clijsters was not only the underdog, but clearly the crowd favorite, as she is now affectionately called Aussie Kim. After losing the first set, the crowd got her going from 2-4 down to win the second, but Aussie Kim couldn't sustain any momentum in the third, and it was all Henin-Hardenne at the end.
This year's AO wasn't without a Williams sister, but defending champion Serena did not compete as she is still in rehab following knee surgery. Older sis Venus was also coming back from injury, and had not played a match since Wimbledon 2003, but got a special seeding of No. 3. Unfortunately for Venus, her lack of match play led to a third round defeat at the hands of American Lisa Raymond. It was a great singles win for Raymond, who is traditionally a doubles specialist, teaming with Martina Navratilova for most of the season.
It was also good to see American Lindsay Davenport back on court following her surgery in 2003. The 2000 AO champion ran into a very determined Henin-Hardenne in the quarterfinals, but put up a fairly impressive fight. We hope Davenport will hang in another few years as she adds great depth to the women's game.
All in all, it was a great Open on the women's side, and a strong start to the year.
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