It will be a familiar scene for Belgium's most famous sportswomen when Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters meet in their third major final at the Australian Open today.
The pair have been competing and traveling together since they were 10 and even shared a room when they were teenagers trying to make a name on the tour.
Their careers have taken off since then and they are now two of the most recognizable faces in the sport, perched at the top of the ladder with Henin-Hardenne ranked No. 1 and Clijsters No. 2.
However, there will be no room for sentiment today when they contest their third grand slam final in less than a year, with the No. 1 ranking also at stake.
"Kim and me are getting used to this situation," said French and US Open champion Henin-Hardenne.
"It's an all-Belgian final, it's huge for a little country."
While Clijsters's game is based around her strength and power, she also has a reputation for losing her nerve in crunch situations.
The 20-year-old holds a 9-8 edge in their head-to-head battles but Henin-Hardenne won the two matches that really count.
She beat Clijsters in the Roland Garros final last June then again in Flushing Meadows in September.
"In those matches I knew where the problem was and I knew it wasn't psychological," Clijsters said.
Both have been in devastating form this year, coasting into the final without losing a set.
It was almost inevitable that the two Belgians would meet in the final after the women's draw was hit by the withdrawals of former champions Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and the early exit of Venus Williams, who was playing her first tournament in six months.
"This is important, it's a grand slam final. That's going to be another great moment in my career," Henin-Hardenne said.
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