Henke defeats Flipkens in three sets.

Henke started off showing Flipkens that she was warmed up and that she had a few matches under her belt in Hasselt. She broke Flipkens in the 5th and 7th game to end the first set on her own serve 6-2.

Kirsten Flipkens now warmed up as well for the second set ran passed Henke in no time. Flipkens had a good attacking strategy and forced the German into errors, she was also making more mistakes. 18 years old Flipkens won the second set 6-1.

In the third both players had trouble holding their serve. Flipkens was the first one to break but got a rebreak on her own service game. In the 8th game Flipkens showed there was something wrong with her serve when she hits three double faults, Henke breaks for 4 all.

Henke was the first one to hold on to her own serve in the 9th game. After a double fault Flipkens was leading 0-30. Flipkens hits the ball badly and the players are tied 30 all. Returning a dropshot by Flipkens takes Henke to 40-30 but a forehand winner gets the score to deuce. Henke takes advantage when Flipkens hits a ball long and takes the game after another long ball played by Flipkens. The German is leading 5-4 and Flipkens has to serve to stay in the match.

Serving does not go easy anymore for Flipkens. After hitting a ball into the net for 0-15 she hits a ball long for 0-30 and a double fault for Henke’s matchpoint 0-40. Flipkens hits a winner on the baseline and Henke thought she already won the match. Another forehand winner for Flipkens bring the Belgian back to 30-40.

Returning a well-placed ball by Henke Flipkens fails to get the ball back and the ball hits the surface just a few meters in front of Flipkens. That ends the match 6-2, 1-6 and 6-4 for Germany’s qualifier Vanessa Henke.

In the post match interview Kirsten Flipkens explained what had gone wrong. “It's not a bad excuse but I am suffering a back injury, it has been there for a long time now and looking back I could ask myself if it was ok to play today”.

She said she only practiced for one hour today and she is having trouble serving. She explained she is having this physical defect from her birth; there is a bone that is infected now and is treated with muscle relaxers and injections. After getting an injection last week she has to get another one next week.

“Henke had nothing to lose here coming from the qualies, I was hoping to win on spirit and hard work. I don’t know if I play more this year. I hope to be fit for Australia but I wanted to play Hasselt because I also missed Antwerp in February due to my injury”.

Vanessa Henke meets Russian Elena Bovina in her next match.

First round results:

Michaela Pastikova vs. Tathiana Garbin 7-6(4), 6-4

Denisa Chladkova vs. Aranxta Parra Santonja 6-1, 6-4

Silvia Farina Elia vs. Tatiana Perebiynis 5-7, 6-3, 6-1

Maria Elena Camerin vs. Capuchine Rousseau 6-2, 6-0

Maria Sanchez-Lorenzo vs. Claudine Schaul 6-3, 6-0

Virginia Ruano Pascual vs. Jelena Kostanic 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4

Francesca Schiavone vs. Mara Santangelo 6-2, 6-0

Elena Bovina vs. Caroline Maes 6-1, 6-1

Magdalena Maleeva vs. Lindsay Lee-Waters 6-3, 6-3

Els Callens vs. Eva Birnerova 7-6(5), 6-4

Iveta Benesova vs. Angelika Bachmann 6-4, 6-3