Henin powers past Russian into fourth round

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By Sonia Oxley

LONDON, June 29 - Justine Henin used her formidable backhand and clever angles to beat Russian Elena Vesnina 6-1 6-3 in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday.

The world number one, seeking her first Wimbledon crown to complete her grand slam collection, has had an easy ride into the second week at the All England Club and has spent less than three hours on court to get there.

She will face more of a challenge in the next round where she will take on 15th seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland.

"It's going to be a long weekend now, but I'm glad I'm in the fourth round," Henin told a news conference.

"I could do very good things during my first three matches. Especially today I'm very happy the way I played, very aggressive, very consistent."

Henin broke in the first game of the match before overpowering the world number 67 with some of her trademark backhands down the line.

The Belgian was 3-2 up in the second before rain interrupted play for an hour and a half. The Russian held her serve after the break before Henin whizzed through the next three games.

Henin said she had been glad of the straightforward matches because she had been a little tired coming into the grasscourt grand slam after her victory at Eastbourne the previous week.

"It's good I don't spend a lot of time on the court because physically I really need to rest a little bit," said Henin, who has not dropped a set so far.

She admitted she would love to win the one grand slam title that has so far eluded her but said that it was not something she thought about too much and that she treasured the French Open more.

"I still believe I can do it, but it's not an obsession for me," she said about winning Wimbledon. "I don't have anything to prove to anyone.

"I love this tournament, I like to be here ... but Paris remains the place where my heart is beating pretty hard," said the four-times Roland Garros champion.

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index

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