Henin v Schnyder as it happened

July 2, 2007 at 2:15 pm · Filed under gamewatch, justine henin, patty schnyder, wimbledon

Wimbledon fourth round result:

J HENIN (Bel) 1 v P SCHNYDER (Swi) 15

6-2 6-2

GAME-BY-GAME UPDATES:
By Tom Fordyce

SECOND SET

Henin 6-2 Schnyder
Bish-bosh – Justine holds predictably to seal the deal, and she’s into the quarters in a flash. 56 minutes, to be precise. Let’s be kind and call that match a mere aperitif for the feast ahead.

Henin 5-2 Schnyder
We won’t be long now – patsies from Patty on her serve, and she’s broken yet again. Pop the kettle on – we’ve got Serena on in a bit.

Henin 4-2 Schnyder
Patty simply has no answer to the Henin serve. She’s got as close to a break of serve as Paris Hilton has to the Booker prize.

Henin 3-2 Schnyder
Token revival from Patty, who gets her serve kicking to stay alive in the set. One boomer at the Henin body has the Belgian swaying out of the way and snicking the ball off the edge of the frame into the crowd behind her, much like Geraint Jones facing a rampant Brett Lee.

Henin 3-1 Schnyder
Henin drives a forehand cross-court to have Schnee scampering desperately, and sprints to the net to slam away the resultant volley. The crowd’s gone very quiet again, struck silent by the one-way nature of this so-called contest.

Henin 2-1 Schnyder
Further woe for the struggling Patty as Henin robs her of her serve again, battering a brutal backhand down the line to tighten the vice. Henin then takes a breather by her chair, glugging from an old water bottle filled with what looks like chocolate milkshake. Unusual choice.

Henin 1-1 Schnyder
No such problems for the number one seed, who holds to love. If you haven’t seen Schnyder in action before, she’s got long wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail, giving her a timeless look – she could time-travel into any year in tennis in the last 40 years and look completely at home.

Henin 0-1 Schnyder
Every now and then Schnee plays a shot worthy of a Wimbledon champion, only to follow it up with an effort so embarrassing it virtually blushes while sailing out. She hangs on to her serve after three dicey deuces.

FIRST SET

Henin 6-2 Schnyder
Woodward lowers his dark glasses onto his nose in the measured fashion of Arnie in Terminator, and watches emotionless as Henin polishes off the set in total comfort. Reckon this could be done within the hour?

Henin 5-2 Schnyder
Better from Schnyder, if only for a brief moment – she dinks in a delightful forehand drop-shot which Henin runs down, only to to drive her passing-shot long. Hold on – is that Clive Woodward in the Royal Box?

Henin 5-1 Schnyder
Henin, staring out unblinkingly from under the brim of her cap, holds again to move closer to the first set. Arsene Wenger’s in the crowd, smartly dressed in light grey suit and open-necked blouson.

Henin 4-1 Schnyder
Dear oh dear. Patty’s head’s all over the shop – she double-faults three times to give the break straight back, and instantly undo all the good work from the previous game. Schnyder’s husband Rainer Hofmann watches on from the VIP box, his badly-bleached hair sprouting out from underneath a tie-dye pale blue baggy flat cap. Would it surprise you to learn he works in IT?

Henin 3-1 Schnyder
That’s more like it – Schnee winds up her big forehand and snatches a break back when Henin frames a lunging volley into the net. Enthusiastic applause from the crowd, who are desperate for a ding-donger rather than a damp squib.

Henin 3-0 Schnyder
Schnyder is having an absolute schtynker – she’s broken again, this time to 15, and she walks back to her chair shaking her Swiss head in consternation.

Henin 2-0 Schnyder
Henin holds with flinty-eyed determination. Actualy, flinty doesn’t quite do it – she’s got eyes like chips of coal.

Henin 1-0 Schnyder
You’ll never guess what – the sun is shining on Centre Court! Seriously. No – really. You can take your chat about there being an 80% chance of showers and tuck it up your folded umbrella. Henin gets busy from the off, attacking the Patty serve and nabbing an early break when the Swiss belts a forehand long.
Story from BBC SPORT

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