New Delhi: In 1992, a 10-year-old Belgian girl went across the border to Paris to watch the French Open final between her idol Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.
Even the idol would be watching on Saturday as that very same girl, Justine Henin goes for her third French Open title. And standing in her way is a spunky Serb - Ana Ivanovic.
Justine Henin and Anna Ivanovic - one is a two-time defending champion, trying to become the first woman in 15 years to win three straight French Open titles - and the other an upstart, who has never been beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam.
"It's my first Grand Slam final, so I'm very excited to be here, and have chance to play against some of the top players. And it's hard not to get overexcited. But I think for myself it's very important to think more about my shots. And once I'm on the court, to think more about moving and placement of shots, shot placement, shot selection, rather than think emotionally, 'oh, to win this point or a game'," Ivanovic says.
The last and the only time Henin and Ivanovic met was in 2005 at Warsaw on clay, where Henin won 6-4, 7-5 with ease.
No wonder then that Henin is taking Ivanovic as seriously as any other opponent, especially after her straight sets win over second seed Maria Sharapova.
"It's going to be another tough match on Saturday. I just hope I can keep going. She's in great shape, Ivanovic. She won Berlin; she's playing great in this tournament. So the Grand Slam final is a very special match, and I hope it's going to be a good match, and that I can go to the end. But it's going to be tough, and I will have to be at my best level," Henin says.
Henin already has three French Open crowns in her kitty and is gunning for her sixth title. And a win here could well make her only the second woman in the Open era along with Monica Seles to win three consecutive Roland Garros crowns.
While for Ivanovic, who wants to follow her idol Monica Seles, beating Justine Henin in Saturday's final could be the ideal way to start.
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