Sister Slam completed
NEW YORK — She finished off the Sister Slam. Now, Justine Henin will try to finalize another Grand Slam.
In a tournament that's become a mix of excellence and endurance, Henin outlasted a wobbly Venus Williams, leaving the U.S. Open without any American players.
Venus hoped to even the family score Friday, three days after sister Serena lost to Henin. Instead, the No. 1-ranked Belgian won their semifinal match 7-6 (2), 6-4.
"I just was feeling dizzy, a little sick to the stomach. Was just having some energy problems. I'm not really sure what's wrong with me," Venus said. "But, you know, credit to her for playing well."
Martina Hingis was the only other player to beat the siblings in the same major, doing it at the 2001 Australian Open before losing to Jennifer Capriati in the final.
Packing a powerful serve, wicked backhands and daring rushes to the net, Henin has not lost a set through six matches. Earlier this week, many tennis fans figured there would be a Williams in the final. Henin ended that, all by herself.
"I really believed I could do it, and that's maybe why I did," she said. "I don't think a lot of people thought I could beat her here in this tournament. I was really proud. It's not easy to play Serena and Venus, you know."
On Saturday night, Henin will try for her seventh Slam title when she takes on No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova in a matchup of former U.S. Open champs.
Henin is 14-2 against Kuznetsova, who advanced by defeating No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.
"I don't want to think about it," Kuznetsova said.
The men's semifinals were set for the afternoon: No. 1 Roger Federer against No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko, and No. 3 Novak Djokovic against No. 15 David Ferrer.
Henin had some trouble breathing during the second set. She later said she'd been having problems for a few days.
Told that Venus had mentioned health problems, Henin sounded sarcastic when she said, "I'm surprised."
"I could say I wasn't 100 percent, but I was fighting on every point. She probably did the same," she said. "I think it was just a good match. No complaint about that."
"My tournament is not over yet," she said.
