World No. 1 Justine Henin won her thirty-second consecutive match on Sunday with a solid 6-2, 6-2 win over Su-Wei Hsieh at the Australian Open.
Henin will face Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Henin quickly raced to a 6-2, 5-0 lead in the fourth round meeting, only to falter and lose her serve. Hseih held her next service game before Justine finally served out the match on her third match point.
Maria Sharapova also advanced to the round of eight on Sunday afternoon. The fifth seed defeated her countrywoman Elena Dementieva in straight sets 6-2, 6-0.
Although her new service technique produces fewer errors, Dementieva is not putting as much pace on her serves. This low-risk approach eliminates most of her double-faults, but it gives power players – like Maria – a chance to get a good swing on her second, and even first serves. Her fastest serve of the match clocked in at 173Km, far less than Sharapova’s highest at 186Km.
If Henin and Sharapova’s quarterfinal is half as good as their last meeting at the Sony Ericsson Championships in November, Tuesday’s match will be one not to miss.