Serena Williams Earns her 12th Title

Sunday, January 31, 2010 -- Serena Williams crushed Justine Henin’s hopes of having an Australian Open singles title to her name, when she defeated the returning player in a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 match.

Williams faced a very determined Henin on her way to securing her fifth title for the Australian Open, as well as her 12th overall Grand Slam singles title.

Henin had most of the support from the crowd that flocked over to Rod Laver Arena, but she could not pull of a win for her Grand Slam comeback unlike when Kim Clijsters had done in last year’s U.S. Open.

Before facing off with Henin, Williams had won the last four games on Saturday, with a clinch in the final round after playing for two hours. In fact, she fell on her back as soon as she won the match – even before she could shack hands with Henin at the net.

Williams said of Henin’s comeback, “It’s good to have her back, it’s exciting… She can definitely be No. 1, especially with our ranking system, if she keeps doing well.”

Despite the loss, Henin still had an impressive time at the Australian Open, and even her loss at the final round of the Brisbane International Tournament when facing against Clijsters approximately 2 weeks prior to the match against Williams.