Henin enjoying best year yet, promises more to come

Justine Henin matched her biggest haul of titles in a season by winning Sunday's Stuttgart Grand Prix final and the world number one is not finished yet.

Henin saw off a gritty challenge from the unseeded Tatiana Golovin of France to win 2-6 6-2 6-1 and make it eight tournament wins from the 12 she has played this year.

That incredible record could get even better, with the Zurich Open and the tour-ending championships in Madrid still to come for the 25-year-old Belgian.

Henin, who sat out the Australian Open for personal reasons, is approaching the end of the season in great shape, just as many of her rivals are counting the days to their vacations.

"I'm fresher than most of the players now," Henin said at a news conference after winning her 37th career title. "I also won eight titles in 2003 but that was from 20 tournaments so this is already the best year of my career.

"I now want to try to beat my record. I'm just having so much fun on court."

Henin took almost a month off after winning the U.S. Open in early September -- her seventh career grand slam title -- and she was a little off her best as she returned in Stuttgart.

That still made her far too good for her rivals, as she extended her winning streak to 16 matches on her way to the title.

The 19-year-old Golovin was the only player to take a set off her in Stuttgart and had she been able to continue the match as she started it -- keeping Henin pinned back with her powerful forehand -- she might will have beaten her.

"You know, you see her play and you're not that impressed," Golovin said of Henin at a news conference.

"She doesn't have these huge shots but she's so solid all the time. When you're up against her she just doesn't let you play, and she hits winners when she's really not supposed to."