Henin-Hardenne breezes through US opener

FIVE-TIME Grand Slam winner Justine Henin-Hardenne’s march towards reclaiming her US Open title began in earnest on Monday as she cruised past Maria Elena Camerin 6-2, 6-1 in an opening round match yesterday.

The reigning French Open champion made quick work of Camerin, taking just 74 minutes to dispatch the Italian at the Arthur Ashe Stadium. Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 US Open champion, is an impressive 44-6 heading into the final Grand Slam of the season.

“I feel good. This is the first year since 2003 that I’m playing the four Grand Slams in the season,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I did pretty well even though I was a bit tired at the start of the match.