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WORLD SPORT

Henin-Hardenne prospers on return

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Mauresmo dropped the first set before dispatching Voskoboeva.

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut -- Justin Henin-Hardenne cruised into the quarterfinals of the Pilot Pen WTA event in Connecticut on Wednesday in her first match since Wimbledon.

The second-seeded Belgian beat Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4 6-2 showing little sign of ring rust or the right knee injury that has hit her U.S. Open preparatiion.

Top seed Amelie Mauresmo, playing her first tournament since winning Wimbledon battled past Galina Voskoboeva 4-6 6-1 6-2.

Henin-Hardenne, who was denied a sixth grand slam title by Mauresmo at Wimbledon was pleased with her sharp return.

"It's great to be back. I missed the tennis the last few weeks," Henin-Hardenne said.

She moved Medina Garrigues all over the court with her crisp passing and impressive backhands. Her deft play at the net proved just as effective.

Her soft drop shots fell time and again out of reach of the 24-year-old Spaniard.

"There's still a few things to improve for sure," she said. "I'm trying to be more aggressive. I played very well on the important points, on the serve-and-volleys."

To her opponent, Henin-Hardenne hardly looked like someone who's missed the last six weeks.

"I think there's just a difference when you play the top players," Medina Garrigues said. "She's moving very good. You can't make any mistake. I don't feel like she was a month and half without matches."

She takes on Mara Tangangelo of Italy in a quarterfinal on Thursday.

Mauremso showed more signs of a long layoff after dropping the first set.

"I was not surprised that it took me some time to get into the rhythm of the match," the top-ranked Mauresmo said.

"I think it's a little bit normal that it takes a little time. And then I adjusted a little bit more and pumped myself up and really started to be more aggressive."

Mauresmo withdrew from last week's tournament in Montreal because of a strained right shoulder and is using this event to test the injury before the U.S. Open, which starts Monday. She'll be seeded No. 1 there.

"I was struggling coming here," she said. "Today was good. No pain. So that's great."

She will play seventh-seeded and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in a quarterfinal Thursday.

It will be a rematch of last year's Pilot Pen final. Davenport, the former No. 1 in the world, advanced with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Francesca Schiavone.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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