OddsPreview.com Henin crashes out of German Open @ Thursday May 8

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World number one Justine Henin was sent crashing out of the German Open by Russia's Dinara Safina on Thursday.

The Belgian, playing only her second match following a month off with a knee injury, went down 5-7 6-3 6-1.

It was Henin's first defeat on clay since losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Berlin semi-finals last year.

There was another shock as third seed Kuznetsova lost 1-6 6-2 6-2 to Alona Bondarenko, but Serena Williams beat Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 6-1.

Henin's defeat means she misses out on a clash with Williams in the last eight.

Henin had been looking to kick-start her season on her favourite surface ahead of defending her Roland Garros title later this month.

But despite having won all five previous meetings against Safina, she struggled with her serve and was broken eight times.

"It was pretty difficult out there and very frustrating, I am very disappointed," said Henin.

"I struggled during the whole match, I didn't have the intensity, she just played better then me."

She added: "This week was important, not only in terms of the French Open, but also in terms of getting some confidence back."

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