Henin vs Petrova in tough first round encounter

BRISBANE, Australia – Former world No. 1 Justine Henin faces a tough first-round match in her official comeback tournament after drawing second-seeded Nadia Petrova at the Brisbane International.

Henin, a wildcard, was the last player in the 32-woman field to come out of the draw, coincidentally conducted by Petrova. The Russian gave a rueful smile as she turned Henin’s name card over at the public draw in downtown Brisbane on Saturday.

US Open champion Kim Clijsters will play Italian Tathiana Garbin on Sunday at Pat Rafter Arena. Henin plays Petrova on Monday.

Men’s top seed Andy Roddick drew Australian Davis Cup player Peter Luczak, while fellow American James Blake will play fifth-seeded compatriot Sam Querrey.

Henin spent 117 weeks at No. 1 and has seven Grand Slam titles. She announced her comeback in September, soon after Belgian compatriot Clijsters won the US Open. (AP)