Henin wins in Antwerp

Justine Henin woke from her service slump and looked more like herself in today's Proximus Diamond Games final. Henin defeated Karin Knapp of Italy, 6-3, 6-3 in a well-played match that gave Knapp a chance to show the different aspects of her game. Though she was no match for Henin, Knapp held her own, breaking Henin once, and giving the world number 1 enough competition to give the crowd an entertaining match.

Cara Black and Leizel Huber won the doubles title, defeating Kveta Peschke and Ai Sugiyama, 6-1, 6-3.

Arvidsson takes Chakvetadze out of Antwerp

There was a time, not so long ago, when Sofia Arvidsson could hardly win a match, but this season she has experienced a real turnaround, and that she put some emphasis on that turnaround today by defeating Proximus Diamond Games second seed Anna Chakvetadze, 6-3, 7-5. Arvidsson did not make it through qualifying, but got into the main draw as a lucky loser.

Arvidsson will play Li Na in the quarterfinals.

Proximus Diamond Games--looking ahead to the quarterfinals

Justine Henin, Daniela Hantuchova, Patty Schnyder, and Anna Chakvetadze are headed to various quarterfinal contests at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp. Or are they?

Henin next faces Tsvetana Pironkova, who has done her share of giant-tipping, but who is not at all likely to prevail against the world number 1 and top seed.

Hantuchova, on the other hand, faces Yanina Wickmayer, who has been on somewhat of a roll lately. Wickmayer defeated both Bondarenko sisters in Fed Cup matches, and beat Peng Shuai to get to the second round of the Proximus Games. She is also playing in her home country and will get all of the crowd support.

Schnyder will play Karin Knapp, who has already advanced to the quarterfinals, with her win over Yaroslava Shvedova. Schnyder tends to do very well on indoor surfaces and should prevail against the the up-and-coming Knapp.

As for Open Gaz de France winner and number 2 seed Anna Chakvetadze, she should get by an improving Sofia Arvidsson to land her quarterfinal slot.

Li Na has already secured her quarterfinal place, with a win over Dominika Cibulkova. Others contending for the quarterfinals:

Kateryna Bondarenko v. Alisa Kleybanova
Timea Bacsinszky v. Julie Ditty

I expected Daniilidou to beat Szavay

But she had to withdraw. Nonetheless, Agnes Szavay is out of the Proximus Diamond Games, defeated by qualifier Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2, 6-3. The Open Gaz de France finalist had a 47% first serve stat; her opponent's was 46%. Szavay won points on 59% of her first serves, and on 44% of her second serves. She double-faulted seven times, and converted only one of eight break opportunities.

Daniilidou withdraws from Antwerp

I was looking forward to the first round match between Eleni Daniilidou and Agnes Szavay, but Daniilidou, suffering with a lung inflammation, has withdrawn from the Proximus Diamond Games. Szavay will play Alisa Kleybanova instead.

Wickmayer continues her campaign

During Fed Cup play, Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer defeated both Kateryna and Alona Bondarenko, creating a tight contest between Belgium and Ukraine. Now Wickmayer has taken Peng Shuai out of the first round of the Proximus Diamond Games, 6-0, 6-4.

Also out is number 5 seed Sybille Bammer, who was defeated 6-0, 3-6, 6-2 by Yaroslava Shvedova. And Karin Knapp defeated Nathalie Dechy, 7-6, 6-4.

Proximus Diamond Games begin tomorrow

The Proximus Diamond Games begin tomorrow in Antwerp, with a field led by world number 1 Justine Henin. Also featured are Daniela Hantuchova, Open Gaz de France winner Anna Chakvetadze, Patty Schnyder, Agnes Szavay, and the Bondarenko sisters. This is a Tier II tournament played on indoor carpet.