Give her the credit -- Henin defeated Capriati

Yes, Jennifer Capriati lost in Thursday's semifinal at Wimbledon.

Yes, Capriati has made a remarkable comeback after conquering her personal demons.

Yes, Capriati has lost a shot at the Grand Slam this year after winning the Australian and French Open.

With all the Capriati-hoopla, and the Jennifer-this, and Jennifer-that, let's not lose sight of the fact that 19-year-old woman from Belgium, Justine Henin, has just won the biggest match of her young career.

Let's give credit where credit is due.

Henin, who made her Wimbledon debut last year, and who was ranked 226 in 1998, 69 in 1999, 48 last year, and came into the tournament this year ranked ninth in the world, is fast becoming one of the rising stars on the tour.

Her play on Thursday was nothing short of outstanding. She fought back her nerves on Wimbledon's famed center court, she fought back after overcoming foot blisters, she fought back after a rain delay, she fought back from a 2-6 slaughter by Capriati in the first set, she fought back all the way and stopped Capriati dead in tracks to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and reach Saturday's final against Venus Williams.

Henin's win is what should be celebrated, not Capriati's loss.

Instead, if you read the news, if you listen to the broadcast media, all you hear is how Jennifer lost in the semifinal, Jennifer lost her shot at the Grand Slam.

Give it a rest. Henin won. It's that simple.

Even Capriati seemed tired of all the hoopla. In an interview after the semifinal, she said "Everyone was making a big deal of the Grand Slam but me. So I'm just pretty happy with the way the year's gone so far. I mean, it's hard to win one Grand Slam."

Henin now enters Saturday's Wimbledon final as the first Belgian player to ever get there. There she will face Venus Williams, who defeated Lindsey Davenport 6-2, 6-7 (1), 6-1 and will not try to defend her title.

Henin, who reached the French Open semifinal this year, and who has won three singles titles in her career, defeated Williams in their only meeting this season -- a clay court win at the German Open in May.

"I think that now I have all my chances to win this tournament," Henin said after her semifinal. "I believe it."

Win or lose on Saturday, the tennis world has a new, rising star on the horizon. Her win against Capriati was done with solid play, a strong backhand, crisp volleys, and nerves of steel.

Capriati will be back, no question about that. She's young, she's playing great, and she's hungry for more titles. She's probably the hands-down favorite heading into the hard court season and will probably make a run at the U.S. Open title as well in September.

Bottom line though is that today, Henin was the better player. She stopped Capriati cold and she's in the Wimbledon final.

Give Henin the credit she's due.