Henin, Sharapova Advance to Madrid WTA Championships Final

Sharapova said: "It's pretty incredible because if someone told me about two weeks ago that I was going to play the Sony Ericsson Championships I would have been just happy to play, so to be here is great and to be in the final is even better."

Henin added: "She [Ivanovic] played a very good match. There were some ups and downs, but I managed to play well on the important points and I'm happy to be in the final for the second year in a row. It is going to be a tough match, she [Sharapova] has got nothing to lose, and although it's been a tough season for her, now she's back at her best level and proved she's a champion."

This marks the eighth meeting between Justine Henin, the current world No.1 and defending champion, and Maria Sharapova, the former world No.1 and former champion; they are also the two most recent US Open champions (Sharapova – 2006; Henin – 2007).

It is one year to the day since their last meeting (November 11, 2006) in the 2006 Sony Ericsson Championships semifinals, their only prior indoor meeting (won by Henin 62 76(5)).

Should Henin beat Sharapova she will be become the sixth woman to successfully defend the Sony Ericsson Championships title (after Evert, Navratilova, Seles, Graf, Clijsters).

Should Henin win the title and the $1-million first prize she will become the first woman in professional tennis history to earn more than $5 million in a single season (currently on $4,367,086).

Henin is aiming to become the first woman in 10 years to win 10 singles titles in a season; in 1997 Hingis won 12.

Should Sharapova win she will match her 2004 effort of taking the title as the world No.6 and No.6 seed.

Henin is trying to become the first No.1 seed to win the title here since compatriot Kim Clijsters won in 2003.

A victory by Henin will set a new personal best 25 consecutive match wins and the best unbeaten run since Venus Williams recorded 35 straight victories in 2000; she would also become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1989 to go undefeated in the second half of a season (post-Wimbledon).

If Henin defends her title she will become the first woman since Graf in 1996 to win Roland Garros, the US Open and the Season-Ending Championships in the same year.

DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP FACTS

Cara Black and Liezel Huber are aiming to win their ninth title of 2007 (Raymond/Stosur won 10 in 2006); they're contesting their 12 final of the season, having reached the semifinals or better at 22 out of 23 events contested.

Black has been runner-up in this event five times in the past six years - 2001, 2002 (both w/Likhovtseva), 2004, 2005, 2006 (w/Stubbs).

None of the four finalists has previously won the Sony Ericsson Championships title, although Black and Sugiyama are both former runner-ups.

Black and Huber will finish 2007 co-ranked No.1, only the second team since the inception of computer doubles rankings in 1984 to end a season in that joint position (also Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in 2006).

Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama are aiming to win the title in their first season as a team; they own one title as a team thus far – Toronto, where they beat Black/Huber in the final. (WTA)