'Aggressive' Henin rolls over Jankovic for semi-final spot

The defending champion Justine Henin beat Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-2 last night to move into the semi-finals at the Sony Ericsson Championships here. Henin broke serve six times to win her 22nd straight match and improve to 9-0 against the third-ranked Serb, who qualified for the first time for the WTA's season-ending tournament.

"It was much better tonight than on Tuesday night," Henin said. "I think I have been aggressive, there were a lot of winners on my side."

Henin broke serve in the first game before Jankovic (0-1) broke back to level the first set at 2-2. But the top-ranked Belgian came to the net to break twice more to close it out. Although Jankovic had moments in the second set, Henin broke in the first and third games.

"I'm happy. I've been very aggressive, it was very intense and I played a good match. From the first point to the end, I took all of my chances, all of the opportunities, and it was her first match, so maybe I had a little advantage because I could play on Tuesday night," Henin said.

Henin (2-0) advanced to the last four for the third straight time after Serena Williams retired with a left knee injury while trailing 6-4 to Anna Chakvetadze (1-1).

WTA officials said the fifth-ranked Williams was likely to travel to hospital for a scan. Williams had surgery on her knee in 2003 and withdrew from 10 events in 2006 due to the problematic joint.

The tournament doctor treated Williams, who had reached the final in all three previous appearances at the event, before the start of the ninth game. The Australian Open champion returned to finish the first set, but the seventh-ranked Russian had little problem serving it out.

If Williams is not fit to face Henin today the Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, of France, will take her place for the last two matches of the round-robin tournament.

Facing Chakvetadze for a first time, Williams broke in the second game of the first set. But with two of her four double-faults in the third game, the Russian had the first of her three breaks.

Late last night Ana Ivanovic beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 7-6 for her second win in a row at the elite event.