German Open: Henin shocked

World number one Justine Henin [Images] was dumped out of the German Open on Thursday, losing 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 to 13th seed Dinara Safina of Russia [Images] in the third round.

The Belgian top seed had easily won five previous meetings against the powerful Safina, sister of former men's world number one Marat Safin [Images], but was broken eight times on the clay at the Steffi Graf [Images] stadium and looked well short of her best.

Safina served for the match at 5-0 in the deciding set but Henin saved three match points and broke back only to lose her service and the match in the next game when she skewed a backhand into the sidelines.

"It's never easy to lose and to lose that way," Henin, 25, said at a news conference.

"During the whole match I didn't have the intensity and the consistency and it was quite tough. There's nothing more I can really say. She's been better. That's it."

"Going into the match I had inside the feeling that today I have a chance," she said at a news conference.

"Because for her it was the second match and I already played two matches so I was more into the tournament," she added after Henin got a bye in the first round.

"I just had to take my chances and not make the same mistakes against her I made in previous matches."

Henin, a three times winner in Berlin and four times French Open champion, was playing a tournament on her favourite clay surface for the first time this year as she prepares to defend her title in Paris starting at the end of this month.

The seven times grand slam winner misses out on a clash with former world number one Serena Williams [Images] in the last eight in Berlin. The American, who has won three tournaments already this year, thumped Poland's 11th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-1.

Holder and second seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia faces Austrian Sybille Bammer in Thursday's final match on the main court.

Earlier, third seed and 2007 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia was upset by 15th-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko, losing 1-6, 6-2, 6-2, while seventh seed Elena Dementieva beat fellow Russian Vera Dushevina 7-5, 6-3.

Unseeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus thrashed Argentina's Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1.

© Copyright 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.