Henin to face Williams in Antwerp final

Second seed Justine Henin fought back from a set down to reach the Antwerp Open final with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Switzerland's Patty Schnyder on Saturday.

In a repeat of last year's Wimbledon final, Henin will face world number two Venus Williams, who overpowered third-seeded Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo 7-6, 6-0, on Sunday.

Henin initially struggled to find her rhythm as she dropped her serve twice in the first set and hit several unforced errors to lose six games in a row.

The local favourite, backed by cheering fans, fought hard to hold her opening service game but then came unstuck as Schnyder took advantage of Henin's numerous backhand errors to easily wrap up the set.

"It's not always easy to find my rhythm," said Henin, who lost last year's Wimbledon final to Williams.

"I wasn't aggressive enough."

However, the turning point for Henin came at breakpoint in the fourth game of the second set when the 23-year-old Swiss lost her temper and slammed her racket to the ground after an apparently wide shot by the Belgian was judged in.

The ruling by British umpire Fiona Edwards seemed to frustrate Schnyder, who also earned a warning for the tantrum, and she lost her way in the remainder of the set.

By the third set, Henin had gotten into her stride and played more aggressively as her trademark backhand slices were once again on target.

The world number nine outplayed Schnyder with her blistering groundstrokes from the baseline and sublime volleys, clinching the match with an ace.

A disappointed Schnyder left the court in anger, pulling off her wristband and throwing it on the floor.

Henin said crowd support had helped her turn the match around.

"It was the public that helped me out of this. They gave me the strength that I needed to get back in the match," Henin said, adding that the pressure to win in Belgium was also a distraction.

"I always want to do my best and play the best I can for everyone at home," Henin added.

THRILLING RALLIES

Williams's first set against France's Mauresmo produced several thrilling rallies despite both players trying to dominate proceedings with their booming serves.

But Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion Williams used her powerful serves, which included an ace clocked at 185 kph, to devastating effect in the tiebreak to clinch it 7-4.

With the first set in the bag, Williams -- who outmuscled Mauresmo in the Paris Open semifinal last week -- stepped up the pressure in the second as the 22-year-old Frenchwoman wilted and failed to win another game in the match.

"It was so difficult to play Amelie again. She's improved so much," Williams said.

"The court plays different from last week. You really have to be ready because it's so fast. I got some free points because of the court."

Sunday's winner will receive a gold tennis racket, encrusted with 1,650 diamonds to the approximate value of one million euros ($873,400).