Wimbledon heartache the spur for Justine

Henin faces number four seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in tonight's showpiece encounter at Arthur Ashe Stadium after a straight sets 7-5 (7/2) 6-4 semi-final victory over Venus Williams and is looking to add to the French Open crown she collected earlier in the year.

The 25-year-old already has one US Open to her name having triumphed in 2003 before losing to second seed Maria Sharapova last year.

And the Belgian is determined to consign that defeat and her semi-final loss to Marion Bartoli at the All England club, when she was a set and a break up before falling apart, firmly to the history books with victory over Kuznetsova in the final Grand Slam of the year.

"It's a lot of motivation," said Henin, who has won 23 of her last 24 matches.

"I hope I can win the US Open this year.It would mean a lot for me after my disappointing loss at Wimbledon.

"I've been playing very well on the hardcourt but with no major victories so I hope I can make it.

"It would be a big mistake to think that I did the hard work because it is going to be the big day and I hope I can be in my best shape to do it."

Henin squandered a double-set point in the first set against Williams before recovering to win the tie-break. She then returned to the locker room for medical attention due to a breathing problem.

The Belgian frustrated Williams in covering large amounts of ground and returning shots from all angles as she took the second set and booked a showdown with Kuznetsova.

Henin has won 14 of 16 all-time meetings against the Russian, although one of those losses was in the semi-finals on the clay at the German Open.

"The last time I lost to Svetlana was on the clay in Berlin," Henin said.

"It was a different situation.It's going to be like a little revenge for me."

Kuznetsova overcame a poor start in the earlier semi-final to see off compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 3-6 6-1 6-1.

The 22-year-old won 12 of the next 13 games after finding herself a set and a game down, and quickly finished off her opponent en route to clinching the second US Open final appearance of her career.

Kuznetsova defeated Elena Dementieva in 2004 but has only experienced disappointment since.

Two years ago she suffered a historic first-round defeat to unseeded Ekaterina Bychkova, the first time a defending champion had fallen at the first stage at Flushing Meadows, before losing in the fourth round to Jelena Jankovic last year.

"I felt really low after I won here and then I lost in the first round," Kuznetsova said.

"I was really down on myself. Now I realise how much effort it took me to be here again. I went through difficult times.

"Now I'm back here.I'm gonna have another chance, another opportunity to play against the best player.

"It is just great. I really appreciate for myself and my team who work with me what I've done. I came back to this level.This is what I really think."

Kuznetsova's performance here has moved her up to number two in the world, the highest ranking of her career.

"I'm up to this challenge to play against the best players because I want to compete and try to be the best," she added. "It's really now what I live for. I play tennis every day and I want to be in this final. I want to challenge myself there."