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Schnyder finally solves Henin-Hardenne

By Wire services
Published April 16, 2006

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Justine Henin-Hardenne lost for the first time at the Family Circle Cup, falling to Patty Schnyder 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the semifinals Saturday.

The top-seeded Henin-Hardenne, the defending tournament champion, had won 14 straight matches here. It was Schnyder's first win over Henin-Hardenne in seven meetings dating back to 2001.

Schnyder, the No. 3 seed, next plays Nadia Petrova, who is looking for her second straight WTA title. The second-seeded Petrova advanced to the final with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over doubles partner Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

"This is huge," Schnyder said. "I really think she is the greatest clay-court player there is at the moment. It's just amazing that I could come back and win it at the end."

In the third set, Henin-Hardenne was up briefly 1-0 before Schnyder rattled off four straight games - saving two break points - to put the match out of reach.

"I had control of the match in the first set. I was playing pretty well and then I lost a bit of my concentration for a few games," Henin-Hardenne said. "Then the match turned completely and she was having control of the points."

U.S. MEN'S CLAY COURT CHAMPIONSHIPS: Jurgen Melzer blended power and finesse to beat seventh-seed Paul Goldstein 6-3, 6-4 in the semifinals in Houston.

VALENCIA OPEN: Gilles Simon defeated seventh-seeded Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in Valencia, Spain, and advanced to today's final, where he will face either Marat Safin or Nicolas Almagro.

MARTINEZ RETIRES: Former Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez, 34, retired, ending an 18-year career. Martinez, who won Wimbledon in 1994 when she defeated nine-time winner Martina Navratilova, won 33 singles titles and 13 doubles titles in her career.

Joshua Gros and Christian Gomez each scored their first goals of the season to lead host D.C. United (2-0-1) to a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. ... Chris Rolfe scored for the Chicago Fire and Sebastian Rozental converted a penalty kick for the host Columbus Crew in a 1-1 tie.

EUROPEAN LEAGUES: Lyon claimed a record fifth straight French league title after second-place Bordeaux lost 3-2 at Lille. Lyon hadn't won a title in the history of the 74-year-old league before starting its run in 2002.

CYCLING: Countryman Jerome Neuville won the scratch race at the Track World Championships in Bordeaux, France, nearly two years after he considered retiring. Neuville edged Angel Colla of Argentina and Ioannis Tamouridis of Greece at the finish line of the 15-kilometer race.

GYMNASTICS: Lu Bo edged Chinese compatriot Feng Jing late Friday with a strong score in the vault to win the all-around title at the Pacific Alliance Gymnastics championships in Honolulu. The team championship went to Japan, followed by Canada, China and the United States, which was hampered by several mistakes. Olympic silver medalist Brett McClure, placing sixth, was the highest-ranked American.

RUNNING: Isabella Ochichi of Kenya won her fourth consecutive 10-kilometer Crescent City Classic road race, winding through sections of New Orleans damaged by Hurricane Katrina. About 17,000 people participated in the race that began in the French Quarter, went through the central business district and finished in City Park near storm-battered Tad Gormley Stadium. Ochichi won in 30 minutes, 54 seconds, 34 seconds. Kenyan Gilbert Okari won the men's race in 27:49.

[Last modified April 16, 2006, 00:43:12]