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Henin defeats Golovin to win Stuttgart tournament

Justine Henin poses with the new Porsche 911 Turbo Convertible she received for winning the final of the WTA Porsche Grand Prix tennis tournament on Sunday in Stuttgart, Germany. PHOTO: AP

World No.1 Justine Henin says she wants to go on and break her personal record of eight WTA titles in a season after she equaled it by winning Stuttgart's WTA tournament on Sunday.

Henin's 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over France's Tatiana Golovin at Stuttgart's Porsche Arena on Sunday was her eighth tournament win this season and equals the mark she set in 2003.

"In 2003, I won eight tournaments out of 20, this year I have eight wins from 12 tournaments, so that is a record I would like to break," the Belgian said with five WTA tournaments left until the season ends with the Sony Ericsson Championship in Madrid on Nov. 5.

"Tatiana played at a very good level and I couldn't find my rhythm, Henin said. "She had control of the match in the first set, I was too defensive and then the match turned in the second set."

This was Henin's 16th consecutive WTA win having won both the US Open and the WTA tournament in Toronto since her last defeat when she was beaten by France's Marion Bartoli in the semi-final at Wimbledon in July.

Incredibly, the first set she lost to Golovin was the first that she had conceded since that Bartoli defeat.

Golovin, 19, had looked set to beat Henin for the first time in their third meeting as the teenager broke the Belgian twice to take the first set.

Having had a hard semi-final battle with Serbia's Jelena Jankovic on Saturday, Henin looked jaded early in the game and failed to find her rhythm.

But Henin took control of the game to claim the prize of a brand new Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet as she shifted gears, leaving Golovin with few answers.

Henin showed her class to take the second set 6-2 having dominated Golovin with a superb range of shots.

Last year's finalist put up little resistance in the third and Henin needed just 29 minutes to claim a 6-1 win.
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