Thu May 8 12:22:32 2008

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Serena stays hot; Henin bows out in Berlin

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Berlin, Germany (Sports Network) - Surging American Serena Williams posted a third-round win, while top-ranked star Justine Henin went by way of the upset Thursday at the $1.34 million German Open, a clay-court French Open tuneup.

The three-time Berlin champion Henin was stunned by 13th-seeded Russian Dinara Safina 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 on Day 4 at LTTC Rot-Weiss. The capable Safina scored her second career victory over a world No. 1 player.

The reigning French and U.S. Open champion Henin, who had been nursing a knee injury, was seeing her first action since getting tattooed, 6-2, 6-0, at the hands of the high-flying Williams in a quarterfinal in Miami over a month ago. The diminutive Belgian titled here in Berlin in 2002, 2003 and 2005 and was the runner-up in 2006.

Meanwhile, a fifth-seeded former world No. 1 Williams extended her current winning streak to 17 matches by pasting 11th-seeded Pole Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-1.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion and 2002 Berlin runner-up Williams is a dominant 21-1 this season and seeking her fourth straight tournament title. The veteran slugger hasn't lost since bowing out against Serbian Jelena Jankovic in the quarterfinals at January's Australian Open.

Another big Day-4 upset occurred when 15th-seeded Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko bounced third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 1-6, 6-2, 6-2. The U.S. Open runner-up Kuznetsova was last year's Berlin runner-up to Serbian star Ana Ivanovic.

A fourth-seeded Jankovic straight-setted Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-4, while seventh-seeded Russian Elena Dementieva handled her countrywoman Vera Dushevina 7-5, 6-3 and 10th-seeded Hungarian Agnes Szavay toppled eighth- seeded Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli, of France, 7-5, 7-5.

Another third-round result saw Belarusian Victoria Azarenka cool off Argentine Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-1. Dulko was last week's clay-court winner in Morocco, while Azarenka recorded a runner-up finish in Prague.

The 2008 German Open titlist will pocket $196,900.