Henin-Hardenne shows fighting spirit

World number one Justine Henin-Hardenne hit back from two breaks down in the opening set to reach her fifth consecutive Grand Slam semi-final with a 7-5 6-3 victory over Lindsay Davenport at the Australian Open.

The Belgian dropped 4-0 down to Davenport in the first set but drew on her famed grit and resilience to work her way back into the match, breaking the American on four successive occasions for a 6-5 lead.

The top seed then served out the set and with that came an injection of confidence.

Three breaks in the second set sealed the match and a semi-final appearance against Colombian Fabiola Zuluaga.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Henin-Hardenne. “Lindsay was playing unbelievably at the beginning of the match and I wasn’t ready.

“I just kept fighting and I came back in the set and it gave me a lot of confidence. I did hit a lot of winners today.

“I made sure there were no easy points for her so that was very important for me. Finally I played good tennis.”

Zuluaga progressed when French fourth seed Amelie Mauresmo withdrew after suffering a torn muscle in her back.

Mauresmo’s coach Loic Courteau had warned she would not risk aggravating the injury, suffered during her fourth-round victory over Alicia Molik, by playing on.

The final decision was deferred until after a final practice session, but a light knock-up with Courteau confirmed her worst fears and Mauresmo sat courtside in the Rod Laver Arena with her head buried in a towel.

Mauresmo was playing some of the finest tennis of her career and had only conceded six games in three matches before suffering the injury and battling past Molik 7-5 7-5.

She believed her chances of a first Grand Slam title were strong and broke down in tears again as she officially announced her withdrawal from the tournament.

“As you may have seen on the court, I am not able to play my quarter-final match. I pulled a muscle a couple days ago at the beginning of my match against Alicia,” she said.

“I was able to go to the end because I was warm. I wanted to try this morning and have a little hit and see how it felt.

“Unfortunately I don’t feel good enough to play a match. I have pain so I have to withdraw from this tournament.

“It’s a muscle strain on the left side of my back. It’s not great. It could get worse if I play and the best thing to do is to rest.”

By default, Zuluaga becomes the first Colombian to reach the semi-final of a Grand Slam, although it is not the way the 32nd seed would have liked to make history.

“It feels good but I didn’t want it to be for the first time like this, I would have preferred to play,” she said.

“I knew when she finished her match against Alicia she had some back problems. She she was supposed to practice after I did (yesterday). She warmed up but she could not practice at all, she couldn’t hit a ball.

“I was lucky today. She’s a great player, she is tough to beat, she has beaten me many times in my whole career.

“It was luck for me. I wish I could play the match and win it but things happen. It’s my turn now.”