Venus Survives Henin Test

Venus Williams outlasted Justine Henin to win the final, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, in the Diamond Games tournament Sunday at Antwerp, Belgium.

“For me and my family this is a dream come true,” said Williams, who had a tougher than expected match against Henin.

Williams, who didn’t lose a set until the final, started the match with a 113-mph ace on her first serve.

Henin answered with closely played balls to the net, setting the stage for an evenly matched final.

“She was putting me on the run, putting me in compromising positions,” Williams said. “She definitely could have won that match.”

While unable to serve at the speed of her opponent, Henin managed two early aces to delight the home crowd of 12,000 at the Antwerp Sportpaleis.

“With the support of the public ... I was able to turn things around in the second set, now I’m a bit disappointed,” Henin said. “I’ll try to do better next year.”

Williams has won three events this season, the first also came in a final against Henin at the Gold Coast tournament in Australia.

Williams is 4-1 lifetime against Henin, including a three-set win in last year’s Wimbledon final.

Williams promised to return to the Diamond Games event the next two years, to vie for a gold, diamond-encrusted racket worth about $870,000, which she can get by winning the tournament three times in five years.

Monica Seles beat Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand, 7-6, 6-3, to win the Qatar Open.

Seles got her first victory of the year following a loss to Martina Hingis in the final of the Pan Pacific Open and semifinal defeats at the Australia Open and Gaz de France.

Thomas Enqvist of Sweden came from behind to beat Nicolas Escude of France, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1, to win his third Open 13 title in Marseille, France.

Enqvist also won the tournament in 1997 and 1998.

Escude served 19 aces to Enqvist’s 12 and led, 3-2, after winning the first set. But Enqvist won 10 of the next 11 games.

Enqvist is 3-0 against Escude.

Germany’s Lars Burgsmuller won his first ATP Tour title, defeating Olivier Rochus of Belgium, 6-3, 6-3, in the final of the Copenhagen Open.

Burgsmuller, 26, avenged a quarterfinal loss in Poland earlier this month to Rochus.