Australian Open, Melbourne
Venue: Melbourne Park Dates: 17-30 January
Coverage: Watch on BBC TV, Red Button, BBC Sport website (UK only) & Eurosport; listen on BBC 5 live sports extra and online; text commentary online; full details

Henin breezes past Baltacha

Eleventh seed Justine Henin ended Briton Elena Baltacha's Australian Open campaign with a 6-1 6-3 second-round victory in Melbourne.

Belgian Henin was in imperious form throughout the first set, breaking Baltacha in the very first game before closing it out in 27 minutes.

Baltacha fought back in the second but Henin broke in the eighth game before holding serve for the match.

Briton Anne Keothavong later lost in three sets to German Andrea Petkovic.

Despite only recently returning to action following an elbow injury, former world number one Henin dictated the tempo from the outset, using her fluid backhand to great effect as world number 55 Baltacha struggled to contain the 2004 Australian Open champion's expansive game.

However, the Scot produced a more resilient display at the start of the second set, using the topspin lob to great effect as Henin attacked the net.

The 27-year-old Baltacha, who overcame American qualifier Jamie Hampton in the first round, held her first three service games to level the set at 3-3.

But after taking a 4-3 lead in her fourth service game, Henin made the decisive break in the eighth game by converting the third of three break points with a forehand winner.

Baltacha missed two opportunities to break back immediately in the next game with errors, and Henin made her opponent pay for those mistakes by taking the next two points to seal the victory.

"I said before the match that I wanted to take care of the things that I could control, like how I handled the occasion and whether or not I played well, and I did that," Baltacha told her BBC column .

"I knew that if she played really, really well, whatever I did it probably was not going to be enough because of the quality of player Justine is. Sometimes you have to just say 'too good'."

And Baltacha was able to find the positives in her defeat, adding: "I feel great actually. I mean, I knew going into the match it was going to be very difficult and it would have to be an unbelievable performance.

"But it was quite interesting actually. I learnt so much about the match, like positives of what I've improved in my game from last year playing a top player, and also things I've got to get better at."

606: DEBATE Your thoughts on Baltacha's performance

Despite what turned out to be a regulation victory, Henin said she was still feeling the effects of the elbow injury that kept her out of the tour for six months last year.

The 28-year-old said the unusual low temperatures in the Victorian capital did not help her preparations.

"It's the worst conditions actually," she said. "The weather doesn't help, that's for sure. So I wasn't feeling at my best on this part today.

"But I have to deal with it and get ready, be focused on your game, even if it's not easy. But I did a good job about that."

Three-time Melbourne finalist Henin will play 23rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and former French and US Open champion in the third round after the Russian beat Arantxa Rus of the Netherlands 6-1 6-4.

In 18 head-to-head meetings, Kuznetsova has won only two matches against Henin, her last victory coming in Berlin in 2007 on clay.

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