Henin advances in quality encounter with Dementieva

 IT may be premature to call it a classic but Justine Henin progressed to a third round of the Australian Open after a spellbinding encounter with Elena Dementieva.

SHE'S BACK: Justine Henin summoned all her competitive instincts to beat Olympic champion Elena Dementieva at the Australian Open in Melbourne (Getty Images)

You could tell how much this victory meant to Henin, who secured progress past the world number five 7-5, 7-6 in an engaging clash that lasted just ten minutes shy of three hours.

Taking the scalp of the world number five will have the remaining seeds looking nervously over their shoulder and Henin remains on course for a much-anticipated quarter-final meeting with US Open champion Kim Clijsters, a  6-3, 6-3 winner over Tamarine Tanasugarn earlier in the day.

"I have not been here or in tennis for a long time but it has been great to be back," said Henin.

"The nerves were tough while I was trying to close out the match but finally I made it and I'm really happy.

"I cannot believe that I feel these kinds of emotions again.

"Australia is the best place to return for me because I love playing here and the fans love their tennis.

"I came here with a good attitude but the tournament is a long way from being over and I have a tough draw in the next round.

"Now I just need to recover and prepare for my next game."

In a first set packed with high-quality tennis, which saw five breaks of serve, it was the seven-time Grand Slam winner - in her first major tournament in 20 months - who just edged it.

Henin was forced to save two set points at 4-5 down, dredging her full repertoire of shots to produce a succession of winners, including a cross-court backhand volley that brought the capacity crowd at the Rod Laver Arena to their feet.

The Belgian then immediately broke to reach 6-5 and she was able to serve out the opener, hitting 22 winners along the way.

The second set followed a similar pattern with both players exchanging breaks, as every game seemingly went to the wire.

Henin squandered a match point chance as Olympic champion Dementieva rallied and 30 minutes later the Russian had taken her to a tie-break.

However, nearly two years on the sidelines has clearly not dimmed Henin’s finely-honed competitive instincts and she seized her progress at the second opportunity.

Henin will now play number 27 seed Alisa Kleybanova, after the Russian enjoyed a straightfoward and straight sets win in her second round match against Romania's Sorana Cirstea.