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LONDON -- Revenge, redemption and history don't always intersect in Grand Slam finals.
But those themes will figure prominently when Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne replay their stunted Australian Open final Saturday on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon, a Grand Slam title neither has won.
Both overcame stern semifinal challenges Thursday to set up Saturday's clash between the two most graceful and complete players in women's tennis.
Third-seeded Henin-Hardenne held off fellow Belgian and No.2 Kim Clijsters 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). No.1 Mauresmo of France steeled her nerves in the stretch to beat former Wimbledon champ Maria Sharapova of Russia 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
"So many players are one-dimensional now," says Tracy Austin, the two-time U.S. Open champ who is commentating for BBC television. "Both are very natural at the net. They move instinctively. It should be a beautiful match to watch."
Their most recent major final was anything but a thing of beauty.
Clearly not herself but still looking fit enough to finish the match, Henin-Hardenne retired against Mauresmo with a stomach ailment at January's Australian Open trailing 6-1, 2-0, handing Mauresmo the title.
The Belgian's abdication was treated harshly by the Melbourne crowd and later by many critics, who viewed Henin-Hardenne's action as unsporting by depriving Mauresmo the chance to win her first major outright.
"I think really this final is going to be about tennis," Mauresmo said when asked if any ill will lingered."She probably feels very happy about it also, to have the opportunity to have revenge after the final of Australia."
The two native French speakers have been the best players this season.
They have divvied up both majors -- Henin-Hardenne won her third French Open last month -- and seven Sony Ericsson WTA Tour titles, four for Henin-Hardenne and three for Mauresmo.
They also split their two matches in 2006. Henin-Hardenne holds a 5-4-career edge and won their most recent contest in straight sets at Berlin on clay in May. They have never met on grass.
Henin-Hardenne, 24, who lost the 2001 final to Venus Williams, could become the 10th woman to win all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Mauresmo, 27, is seeking to become the first Frenchwoman to win Wimbledon since Suzanne Lenglen. Lenglen won her sixth and last title 81 years ago.
"It's going to be a tactical game, because they play almost the same kind of style," says Carlos Rodriguez, Henin-Hardenne's longtime coach.
Henin-Hardenne has won 17 consecutive matches and 13 in a row in majors, putting her in position to become the first player in the Open era (since 1968) to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back without dropping a set.
Still, the match will likely hinge on aggression and nerves.
Mauresmo, in her first All England Club final after reaching four semifinals, has shored up her once-fragile psyche but is still prone to bouts of jangly emotions. Against Sharapova, she led 6-3, 3-1 with triple break point and suddenly unraveled, losing the next five games. But she recovered, showing how far her mental game has come.
Henin-Hardenne is the game's non-pareil big-match player and showed it against Clijsters, raising her game in the key moments.
"I love this kind of situation," Henin-Hardenne, who enjoys skydiving, says of the second-set tiebreaker. "I have the feeling that is why I am playing tennis. There is a lot of pressure in these moments."
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