No love lost

Belgians Henin-Hardenne, Clijsters to meet in third major final

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- It will be a familiar scene for Belgium's most famous sportswomen when Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters meet in their third major final at the Australian Open on Saturday.

The pair have been competing and travelling together since they were 10 and even shared a room when they were teenagers trying to make a name on the tour.

Their careers have taken off since then and they are now two of the most recognisable faces in the sport, perched at the top of the ladder with Henin-Hardenne ranked number one and Clijsters two.

However, there will be no room for sentiment on Saturday when they contest their third grand slam final in less than a year, with the number one ranking also at stake.

"Kim and me are getting used to this situation," said French and U.S. Open champion Henin-Hardenne.

"It's an all-Belgian final, it's huge for a little country."

It is unlikely there will be any love lost between the once-close friends, who have shown signs their relationship is under strain since they began battling each other for the major trophies.

FAKING INJURIES

Clijsters has accused Henin-Hardenne of faking injuries and her father Leo once questioned the slightly-built Henin-Hardenne's new physique.

"I think that I agree that we are really different," Henin-Hardenne said.

"We have a really different kind of game, different characters, which is good."

Henin-Hardenne is a French speaker and the more reserved of the pair. Already married, she is naturally shy but has a fierce determination to win. She also has a backhand that even the top men envy.

Clijsters speaks Flemish and is more outgoing than her compatriot. She is engaged to Australia's Lleyton Hewitt and is assured support from the Melbourne Park crowd after being adopted as "Aussie Kim."

While Clijsters's game is based around her strength and power, she also has a reputation for losing her nerve in crunch situations.

The 20-year-old holds a 9-8 edge in their head-to-head battles but Henin-Hardenne won the two matches that really count.

She beat Clijsters in the Roland Garros final last June then again in Flushing Meadows in September.

"In those matches I knew where the problem was and I knew it wasn't psychological," Clijsters said.

DEVASTATING FORM

Both have been in devastating form this year, coasting into the final without losing a set.

Clijsters, however, has been troubled with an ankle injury throughout her Open campaign.

She sprained her ankle while playing for Belgium at the Hopman Cup in Perth then aggravated it while practising for the Sydney International.

She pulled out of that event, which Henin-Hardenne went on to win, but decided to play in Melbourne.

"My ankle is not going to get any better. But the good news is I can't make it any worse. I'll just have to keep my mind off it," she said following her semi-final win over Switzerland's Patty Schnyder.

It was almost inevitable that the two Belgians would meet in the final after the women's draw was hit by the withdrawals of former champions Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles and the early exit of Venus Williams, who was playing her first tournament in six months.

While Clijsters, who also lost the 2001 French Open final to Capriati, is trying to shake offer her bridesmaid tag, Henin-Hardenne is already halfway to winning the four majors.

"This is important, it's a grand slam final. That's going to be another great moment in my career," Henin-Hardenne said.

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