Serena Williams Beats Justine Henin In Aussie Final

Serena Williams claimed her fifth Australian Open crown and ended Justine Henin's hopes of a comeback title with a three-set win in Saturday's final. Henin hoped to cap her first Grand Slam since ending an 18-month retirement with a fairytale win, but Williams was too strong in the final set. The American, 28, won 6-4 3-6 6-2 in two hours and seven minutes. Williams has now won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, moving her level with Billie-Jean King in the all-time list. It was the world number one's magnificent serve that gave her the edge, regularly digging her out of trouble as she saved 11 of 16 points during the match. And despite having had her right thigh and left knee heavily taped as it had been for much of the tournament, Williams was the stronger in the closing stages as a first Grand Slam tournament in two years finally appeared to take its toll on Henin. The Belgian is still without a world ranking as she has yet to play the minimum requirement of three tournaments but she has already done enough to show that she will be vying with Williams for the top spot in the future, telling the Melbourne crowd after the match: "I'll see you next year." Despite having met 13 times previously, with Williams 7-6 ahead, it was the first time that the pair had played each other in a Grand Slam final and they provided a spectacle befitting of their status as the two best women players of the last decade.