Del Potro, Henin advance at Australian Open

Justine Henin continued to excel in her Grand Slam comeback with a 7-5, 7-6 win over Elena Dementieva, while U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro held off James Blake in a marathon five-setter today at the Australian Open.



Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Henin produced the biggest win of her comeback from 20 months in retirement with a 7-5, 7-6 defeat of fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the night match on Rod Laver Arena, the center court.



The win for the unranked Henin was another step closer to a possible quarterfinal match against U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters, who scored a 6-3, 6-3 win over Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.



Fourth-seeded del Potro beat his 30-year-old American rival 6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 in four hours, 17 minutes on Hisense Arena, the second showcourt at Melbourne Park.



Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick had earlier continued their paths towards a possible semi-final matchup.



Nadal breezed to a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 second-round win over Lukas Lacko of Slovakia, while Roddick was equally untroubled by his opponent in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Brazil\'s Thomaz Bellucci.



Britain\'s Andy Murray, who could meet Nadal in the quarterfinals, advanced to the third round after beating Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.