<
>

UPDATE 1-Tennis-Henin powers past Russian into fourth round

(adds quotes, byline)

By Sonia Oxley

LONDON, June 29 - Justine Henin used her
formidable backhand and clever angles to beat Russian Elena
Vesnina 6-1 6-3 in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday.

The world number one, seeking her first Wimbledon crown to
complete her grand slam collection, has had an easy ride into
the second week at the All England Club and has spent less than
three hours on court to get there.

She will face more of a challenge in the next round where
she will take on 15th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.

"It's going to be a long weekend now, but I'm glad I'm in
the fourth round," Henin told a news conference.

"I could do very good things during my first three matches.
Especially today I'm very happy the way I played, very
aggressive, very consistent."

Henin broke in the first game of the match before
overpowering the world number 67 with some of her trademark
backhands down the line.

The Belgian was 3-2 up in the second before rain interrupted
play for an hour and a half. The Russian held her serve after
the break before Henin whizzed through the next three games.

Henin said she had been glad of the straightforward matches
because she had been a little tired coming into the grasscourt
grand slam after her victory at Eastbourne the previous week.

"It's good I don't spend a lot of time on the court because
physically I really need to rest a little bit," said Henin, who
has not dropped a set so far.

She admitted she would love to win the one grand slam title
that has so far eluded her but said that it was not something
she thought about too much and that she treasured the French
Open more.

"I still believe I can do it, but it's not an obsession for
me," she said about winning Wimbledon. "I don't have anything to
prove to anyone.

"I love this tournament, I like to be here ... but Paris
remains the place where my heart is beating pretty hard," said
the four-times Roland Garros champion.