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STUTTGART, Germany : World number one Justine Henin reached the last four of Stuttgart's WTA tournament on Friday as she cruised past Russian Elena Dementieva in the quarter-finals.
The Belgian favourite always had a few more gears to use in the first set and kept her opponent pinned to the base-line before Dementieva broke her late in the second, only for Henin to break back and claim a 6-4, 6-4 win.
Henin will face Jelena Jankovic in Saturday's semi-final after the Serbian's opponent, defending champion Nadia Petrova, limped out of her quarter-final as her hip injury from the US Open flared up and forced her to retire.
Petrova conceded defeat to third seed Jankovic despite winning the first set in what had been a fierce battle before injury struck.
"It is really disappointing," said Petrova.
"I came here hoping to do well, the surface suits my game, but the hip injury I picked up in the US Open hasn't healed 100 percent.
"Although I could play in the first two games here, this was up another level and I couldn't fight through the pain barrier.
"I don't know how much more tennis I can play now this season, I have to have some tests and see a few doctors next week."
After a battle royal first set in which neither player refused to yield, Petrova held her nerve to win the tie-break 7-5, but struggled badly there after.
Jankovic raced out to a 5-1 second set lead before the Russian waved the white flag.
"I feel sorry for Nadia," said Jankovic.
"I know what it feels like when you are injured and you don't want to play on to make the situation worse.
"But it will be a tough battle against Justine."
In seven meetings - five of them this year - the Serb has never beaten Henin.
"It would be great to beat her, just once," joked Jankovic.
"Maybe it could be the start of something and I could go on a winning streak!"
Earlier in the day, last year's beaten finalist Tatiana Golovin was pleased to be back in the last four after her straight sets win over qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko.
The Russian-born 19-year-old, who beat fourth seed Anna Chakvetadze in the second round on Wednesday, needed less than 80 minutes to see off Bondarenko, 46th in the world, who upset fifth-seed Ana Ivanovic on Thursday.
Golovin, 19th in the world, controlled the first set 6-3 and squandered a match point on her opponent's serve before she served out for the match to take the second set 6-4.
"I had to wait for her to make a mistake, she was a tough opponent," she said.
"Once you make the last eight, all you want to do is make the last four and beyond, so I am pleased with where I am at.
"I made a few mistakes out there and have things to work on for tomorrow, but I'll need to take my game up a level."
The French pin-up, who reached the fourth round of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2004 aged just 16, will now face the winner of Friday night's quarter-final between Serena Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
- AFP /ls
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