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Justine Henin-Hardenne (born June 1, 1982) is a successful tennis player from the Wallonia (francophone) region of Belgium. She was born in Liège.
She started her professional tennis career in 1999, and established herself as a major competitor in 2001, regularly reaching late rounds of international competitions. On June 7, 2003 she won her first Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, defeating her Flemish compatriot Kim Clijsters. On September 7, 2003 she won her second Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, once again against Kim Clijsters. She had reached the final after defeating Jennifer Capriati in semi-finals a mere 18 hours ago, during a terrific 3 hours and 3 minutes match.
On 19 October 2003 she achieved the first rank on the WTA list, taking over from Kim Clijsters. She was named the International Tennis Federation's women's singles World Champion for 2003.
On 31 January 2004 Justine won her third Grand Slam at the Australian Open. During the final, she once again defeated her compatriot Kim Clijsters, displaying more and more confidence on the court and assuming her first rank on the WTA list.
Justine Henin-Hardenne at the 2004 Australian Open
