Mauresmo Beats Hingis But Slammed by Henin at Berlin

Hingis jumped to a two-break lead over Mauresmo when the final set was resumed, but found herself plagued again as of late by tentative play when leading opponents.

"Today when I started off I really felt like the game plan was there," Hingis said. "But in situations where I should have been more aggressive I was just more tentative."

The two matches both contained drama-filled back-stories. Mauresmo beat the player who had before her retirement-comeback called her "half a man," then lost to the player who retired amidst what many considered disgraceful pseudo-injury conditions in the final of the Australian Open.

"I played almost my best level today," Henin-Hardenne said. "In the rallies I could find a good mix of putting a lot of pressure on her and then the patience, and it really paid off. I am really satisfied with the way I played."

Henin-Hardenne is 24-1 in Berlin and looking to enter Roland Garros as the favorite to defend her title. In the final the Belgian will face in-form Russian Nadia Petrova, who rolled over China's Na Li 6-1, 6-0.

"She's one of the best players on clay so it's going to be tough for me," Henin-Hardenne said. "She's really the player with the confidence right now."

The final is a repeat of last year's championship, where the Belgian won in three sets. henin-Hardenne has beaten Petrova in eight of their nine career encounters.

The Sunday doubles final will be Chinese No. 3 seeds Yan/Zheng (d. Safina/Vinci, bagel in the second set in the semifinals) against the Russian/Italian No. 5-seeded team of Dementieva/Pennetta (d. (4) Groenefeld/Petrova).