WIMBLEDON, England — Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters will face off again, this time in the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Monday will mark the latest installment in a rivalry between the Belgian stars, who both own Grand Slam titles, rose to the top, retired and came back around the same time. Neither has won Wimbledon, and their head-to- head record stands at 12 wins each.
For all the symmetry, there are plenty of differences. Henin is slender, a champion with a sublime one-handed backhand and a natural slice who makes up for a lack of physical strength with touch and deft volleys. Clijsters is bigger and stronger, a scrappy defender who bludgeons balls from the backcourt.
“I would say, in our first career, we never played our best tennis against each other,” Henin said. “This year, it’s been two times 7-6 in the third. So very close, and I hope it’s going to be another good one.”
Both players beat Russian players Friday. Henin, the No. 17 seed, won 6-1, 6-4 against 12th-seeded Nadia Petrova after recovering from a 1-3 deficit in the second set. No. 8 Clijsters defeated No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 6-3, 6-3.
Behavior under review.
Wimbledon is looking into whether to fine No. 31-seeded Victor Hanescu of Romania for allegedly spitting toward the crowd during a match.
Hanescu was warned by the chair umpire for spitting and for swearing during the fifth set of Friday’s third-round match against Daniel Brands of Germany. Hanescu eventually stopped playing while trailing 3-0 in that set, and the reason was officially listed as a leg injury.
