The women’s semi-final line-up in the 2010 Australian Open is a slightly unusual one. It is no surprise to see world number one and four-time winner Serena Williams in the last four, but it is unusual for the other semi finalists to be made up of a wild card, a non-seed and the 16th seed.
The tennis odds suggest Williams should have little trouble in securing a fifth Australian Open title, but Justine Henin, Zheng Jie and Li Na have other ideas. In this tournament of surprises, a shock winner should not be ruled out.
In truth a comeback victory for Henin should not come as too much of a surprise. A seven-time Grand Slam winner, she proved herself in good enough form in reaching the recent Brisbane International final and once she battled past fifth seed Elena Dementieva in the second round, a run to the latter stages seemed inevitable.
The Belgian has won three of her last four meetings with Serena, so a final showdown between the two best players of the last decade will hold no fears for a player aiming to emulate the stunning comeback success achieved by compatriot Kim Clijsters at the US Open.
Zheng Jie and Li Na have already achieved history by ensuring two Chinese players have reached the last eight, and now last four, of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time. Zheng reached the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago and both players are capable of securing an upset and making this event memorable for their individual performance rather than a collective national one.
16th seed Li Na was not at her best in beating an off-colour Venus Williams in the quarter finals, so Zheng, a comfortable last eight winner against Maria Kirilenko is perhaps more likely to prevent an mouth-watering clash between Williams and Henin.
Even if the pair do not meet in the final, a Grand Slam final showdown between them seems inevitable. It is an oddity that they have not met in a slam final before and their efforts this month suggest they will make up for lost time this season. When they do meet, the betting will reflect just how closely matched Williams and Henin are.
