Henin becomes first woman to reach semifinals at Australian Open

Henin becomes first woman to reach semifinals at Australian Open

Justine Henin of Belgium greets the spectators after the women's singles quarterfinal match against Nadia Petrova of Russia in 2010 Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 26, 2010. Henin won 2-0.

MELBOURNE, Jan. 26 -- Former world number one Justine Henin continued her stunning comeback to tennis, becoming the first player into the semifinals of the Australian Open.

Henin, playing her first Grand Slam tournament after returning from an 18-month retirement, defeated Russian No. 19 seed Nadia Petrova 7-6 (7-3) 7-5 in their quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Henin will play an unseeded player, either China's Zheng Jie or Russia's Maria Kirilenko in a semifinal on Thursday.

"I hope I can make another final here in Melbourne," said Henin.

Nadia Petrova of Russia reacts during the women's singles quarterfinal match against Justine Henin of Belgium in 2010 Australian Open Tennis Championship in Melbourne, Australia, Jan. 26, 2010. Petrova lost 0-2.

Petrova had ousted 2009 Grand Slam champions Kim Clijsters and Svetlana Kuznetsova in the previous two rounds.