Henin pulls out the choke in taking more liberties at Clijsters' expense

Justine Henin-Hardenne moved through to her second Wimbledon singles final yesterday, five years after her first, with a highly charged 6-4, 7-6 win over compatriot Kim Clijsters.

A lot has changed for the 24-year-old Belgian in that time but her dominance over Clijsters in vital matches has been one of the more reliable constants, and it came to her assistance again yesterday like a dependable old friend.

That description would not be at all appropriate for how Henin and Clijsters feel about each other. Despite the fact that yesterday's semi-final was their 22nd meeting on the WTA Tour, they are not close and never have been, which is why the gamesmanship that marked the match came as no surprise.

They both called their own lines, wagging their fingers in the direction of line judges - a practice frowned on by most players - but it was Henin who crossed the boundary into unsporting behaviour by stopping Clijsters in mid-serve at 2-3 in the second set after claiming she had a piece of energy bar stuck in her throat. Given Clijsters' reputation for choking it was a rather cheap shot.

Clijsters claimed it did not bother her and she is familiar enough with Henin to know that her French-speaking countrywoman occasionally acts outside of the spirit of the rules. Henin is a ferociously competitive individual and Clijsters, who has now lost to her 12 times, has felt the sting of that venomous desire to win more painfully than anyone.

Clijsters performed far better yesterday than in her three grand slam final defeats to Henin and was a break up in both sets, but she could not escape the unavoidable truth that Henin is a more gifted and more complete player, a fact which became abundantly clear every time Clijsters put her under pressure.

"Losing to her in some of the other grand slams I was more disappointed in the fact that I didn't really give her my best," said Clijsters, playing down what must have been a frustrating afternoon. "And I felt like today, I felt like she had to work for it."

Clijsters is an easier character to like than Henin and therefore tends to attract the support of the crowd on such occasions. A warm, throaty roar greeted the break of serve she managed to gain at 3-3 in the first set but respectful applause was all the Centre Court could bring itself to offer Henin when she broke straight back in the next game.

When Henin broke again at 5-4 to take the first set it was courtesy of a combination of Clijsters' profligacy and her own aggression. One of Henin's most potent gifts, particularly on a grass court, is her ability to attack suddenly in mid-rally like a king cobra striking. Clijsters must have known it was coming but still could not evade the fangs.

Clijsters managed to break again at 1-1 in the second set and managed to hold on to it until 3-2 when, at 0-15, Henin started to point to her throat repeatedly and went to her chair to take a drink. Clijsters won the next point but went on to lose her serve and then crumbled once more when Henin burst towards her again in the tiebreaker.

Henin's behaviour on court may attract mixed reviews but it is indisputable that she has evolved into one of the most accomplished players of her generation.

If she beats Amélie Mauresmo in tomorrow's final, she will become only the 10th player to win all four grand slam titles and only the eighth to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon back to back.

That is a measure of just how successful she has been since she lost the Wimbledon final to Venus Williams in 2001 when she was only 19.

"Oh, lot of things have changed," said the world No3. "It was my first grand slam final. At that time I was still very young, no experience at the time. All my successes in grand slams and all my victories on the Tour and the fact that I grew up, that gave me confidence and experience."

Her 2001 final must seem as if it happened in a different lifetime but when it comes to beating Clijsters, some things never change.

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