Can Svetlana change the outrageous 13-1 H2H? The only time she did beat Justine was at this tournament in the semi's in 2004.

Justine has an impeccable record in the Middle East Tournaments (20 wins and 1 loss - the loss against Sveta). Can Sveta do it again?

Let's hope not :D :pray: :pray:

They both look very relaxed! :wub:

Justine takes 1st set 6-4 and it's now 2-1 in 2nd with a break to Justine :bow:

At least Sveta won't be eating a bagel this time :)

i see justine continues to roll on...

Indeed.. collecting another title by the looks of it. :ok:

Yup ... 2 titles in 2 weeks (AND she's going through a divorce with her emotions up and down). What would she be like if she were "happy"? :roflmao

Justine Queen of the Desert :bow: :bow:

ALLEZ!!!!!!!

Excellent win for Justine - and even better, it looks like the #1 ranking will be very much in play at Indian Wells/Miami. :D

Sharapova's lead in the new rankings on Monday will be just 33 points, and she has a Win at Indian Wells (325 points) and a final at Miami (246 points) to defend.

Justine has a semi at Indian Wells (146 points) and a first match defeat (1 point) at Miami to defend.

Therefore, their "safe totals" going into the two events are:

Henin 3677
Sharapova 3220

Meaning Sharapova has to outperform Henin quite substantially over the two events to retain the top spot.

So whos just got a brand new harley and back-to-back titles B)........ Justine!!!!! :yahoo:

Such a high level of play today by JUstine. not spectacular, but so assured, her tactics looked so clear. Looks to me she's got the technique on the serve refined this year, it looked a little ragged at the YEC's, but looks top-notch at the moment :)

Kuzy, have to feel for her :( When will she get a win? She played really well up until 4-2, but then i feel she just didnt know how to cope with JUstine sudenly charging the net. When Kuzy is pushed back behind the baseline, especially on the backhand side, can look so vulnerable.

Well done Justine :D

Stop it dl ... that's twice in two weeks ... I can't take it roflmao

:wub: :wub: :yikes: :yikes: :giggle:

Their respective performances in Miami will be the most crucial factor in determining whether Henin takes over the top spot.

Henin is skipping Indian Wells, which means the semi points she'll be dropping will already halve the 300 she picked up with the Doha title. Meanwhile, even if Sharapova only comes away from California as the finalist, she'll actually still build on her points total by 25 owing to the points increase that went into effect this year. Successfully defending her title would further bolster her margin over Henin by a good 175; this means the gap between the two would reach about 325 points, which only a finalist finish or better for Henin in Miami can close.

I have to think Sharapova is odds-on favourite to repeat her title in Indian Wells, given the relative weakness of the field and her strength on the surface. The only players in the draw who I think could potentially trouble her are Jankovic, Hingis (on a good day) and Safina (on an even better day). Vaidisova might, but there's no telling since the two have never played (which seems incredible considering they're both Top 10 players and of course the Czech is constantly being compared to the Russian). I say this because even coming back from a bit of a layoff, Sharapova is tough to beat; for all the Camille Pin and Mashona Washington scares she always manages to scrape herself out of it. In 2006 she only lost to three players outside of the Top 10, and two of those were still in the Top 20. That's not to say another Jamea Jackson moment won't strike, but really I think Indian Wells will be a bit of a fait accompli, and she and Henin will truly be competing in Miami.

All that said Henin is in a very strong position for reclaiming the No 1 ranking, and I hope she manages the feat. She should retain it through to Roland Garros, especially since I think she'll undoubtedly improve on her lacklustre clay season of last year.

Ah - I'd assumed Justine was playing Indian Wells. Bit unfortunate that she's not as it looks like rather a lot of points available for a not especially strong field.

Even if JH does get back to #1 after Miami, I wouldn't be sure about her retaining it through Roland Garros - Sharapova has absolutely nothing to defend during the clay season apart from a R16 loss at Roland Garros.

That's a good point. I'd assumed perfunctory appearances at Berlin and Rome, but apparently Sharapova is also playing the Family Circle Cup, which surprises me (considering the top players seem to mostly skip it). That's a lot of Tier I points for the taking. Still, she's not nearly the threat on clay that she is elsewhere.

I also think Henin could build on her semi (FC) and finalist (Berlin) outings of last year--which for any other player would be excellent results, but she's proven she can sweep the season before. And by through RG I don't include the Slam itself, since any Slam can wreak havoc on rankings due to upsets and surprise runs, and of course Henin has a title to defend whereas Sharapova just has the R16 points.

Again, really it all just boils down to what takes place in Miami. Should be interesting.