Henin rolls on as Kuznetsova, Safina bow out

MELBOURNE (AFP) - Justine Henin was all class as she reached the Australian Open quarter-finals on a day when Dinara Safina withdrew injured and Svetlana Kuznetsova crashed out to Nadia Petrova.

Justine Henin continued her amazing comeback when she outplayed fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3 (© AFP - Torsten Blackwood)

Henin continued her amazing comeback when she outplayed fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3 Sunday, but it was a very different story for the two Russians.

Second seed Safina pulled out of her match with compatriot Maria Kirilenko when an old back injury flared up with the score at 4-5 in the first set.

Earlier in the day, the third seeded Kuznetsova succumbed to the power of fellow Russian Petrova, who won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to continue the great form she displayed when destroying Kim Clijsters in the third round.

And Zheng Jie made it a memorable day for China when she outlasted Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to become the first Chinese player ever to make the Australian Open last eight.

The saddest departure was Safina, whose immediate career is in limbo after a recurrence of the back problems that hindered her late last year.

She was in agony after the match and struggled to hold back tears as she faced the media, describing the latest setback as "really, really terrible".

Safina, runner-up here last year, said she felt her back go after a marathon sixth game that had eight deuces, which she won to lead 4-2.

"It suddenly hit me, it was getting worse and worse," she said.

"I played a long game and I won the game. I turned to my coach and I said 'I cannot move anymore'."

Henin's joy at beating Wickmayer was in stark contrast to the downcast Safina.

The 27-year-old Belgian said she belonged on a tennis court after reaching the quarter-finals of her first Grand Slam since making a comeback from retirement.

"It's, yeah, magical out there the way I feel," Henin said. "I feel so happy on the court -- I feel it's my place."

She won a tough battle against her 20-year-old rival in yet another long contest -- the 27-year-old's third marathon in a row, and admitted the matches were beginning to take their toll.

"My left leg (which has been strapped for the past two matches) is quite sore," she said.

"I sprained my ankle today also when I fell down. I hope it's going to be okay tomorrow."

Henin and Wickmayer played some superb tennis over two-and-a-quarter hours on the Rod Laver Arena but it was the old stager Henin who had the composure when it was needed.

She will now play Petrova, who is in great form after beating US Open champion Clijsters and French Open champion Kuznetsova in successive rounds.

Kuznetsova appeared distracted in the first set, losing her first service game and struggling to make an impression after that.

She fought back in the second set and looked far more composed, but despite breaking to lead 1-0 in the third, that was as good as it got as Petrova stormed through the set without dropping another game.

An overjoyed Zheng predicted she and compatriot Li Na could both make the semi-finals after her win over Bondarenko.

While Li plays her fourth round match on Monday, Zheng could well be on track for the final four following Safina's withdrawal, with the unseeded Kirilenko her next opponent.