Melbourne: France's Amelie Mauresmo's long wait for a grand slam title is finally over after she won the Australian Open when Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne retired sick.
The victory, which came when Mauresmo's scores were 6-1, 2-0, makes up for the world number three's devastating loss in the 1999 final, when she was thrashed by tennis champ Martina Hingis.
Henin-Hardenne, a four-time Grand Slam winner pulled out 52 minutes into what had been one of the most lopsided finals in the tournament's history.
Mauresmo acknowledged it was a bizarre way to win but was simply overjoyed to secure the career breakthrough.
"I am just so happy now, even though the conditions are pretty strange to end this tournament but I think I was really dominating my game, very in control and I didn't let the emotions rule the game this time," Mauresmo said.
French Open champion Henin-Hardenne, seeded eight, complained of stomach pain to a trainer when the score was 2-0 in the second set.
The 2004 Australian Open champion tried to continue but eventually told the umpire she could not go on. After the loss Henin-Hardenne said that she had been suffering from intense stomach pain.
"I knew at the beginning of the match I could not win," Henin-Hardenne said.
Mauresmo's relief was evident after the match, with the 26-year-old letting out a huge sigh of satisfaction and revealing she would celebrate with a bottle of 1937 vintage wine she had been saving for her first Grand Slam win.
"I now have achieved everything I announced in my career: Fed Cup, being No. 1 and winning a Grand Slam," she said.
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