Justine Henin (Photo: AP)

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Womens Bottom Half Quarterfinals:

Justine Henin (BEL)[W] def. Nadia Petrova (RUS)[19] 7-6(3), 7-5 -- This was a frustrating match to watch, in a lot of respects.  Nadia Petrova managed to outplay Justine Henin for most of the match, except for the parts that mattered.  This was a match won more by the ghosts of past dominance than by current playing levels in a lot of respects, as Petrova seemed completely devoid of self-belief at the end of each set.  It was still an incredible run for Petrova, but I'm not sure she has the mean streak in her that's necessary to beat sentimental favorites like Henin (or even Oudin at the US Open).  For Henin, it was good of her to be able to get out of this one in straight sets.  She went on a serious walkabout at the beginning of the second, going down two breaks to 0-3 to start the second frame.  It was the same vacant start to the middle stanza that she had against Wickmayer, though in this case Petrova was far more forgiving than was her countrywoman.  Based on her current form, and the capitulation of those with histories against her, I like her chances against most everyone but Serena.

Zheng Jie (CHN) def. Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 6-1, 6-3 -- I had fairly high hopes for this match for some reason, but it was really a stinker.  Whether that was because of Kirilenko's leg injury, her relative inexperience compared to Zheng at this stage in a slam, or perhaps simply a poor stylistic matchup between two counter punchers, this one was not great to watch.  As great as it can be to watch an unseeded player shock her way through a draw, when she runs into another Cinderella the match usually turns into a pumpkin pretty quickly.  Disappointment aside, it was an incredibly competent and confident effort from Zheng, who tracked down a lot of balls and effectively took time away from Kirilenko, whom she danced around the court like a puppet.  When Zheng is on, like she is now, she doesn't beat herself in the least bit.  And if Justine Henin gets distracted by looking ahead to Serena in the final (perhaps even more of a danger if the top half semifinal is played first), then Zheng could catch her totally off guard.  Sort of a Bartoli 2.0 situation, if you will.