Henin, the French and U.S. Open champion, will meet Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final Friday. Kuznetsova, also a former U.S. Open champion, beat Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic 7-5, 7-6 (4) in the other semifinal today, saving a set point on her serve in the ninth game of the second set.

Kuznetsova then came back from 3-0 down in the tiebreaker to win seven of the next eight points and the match.

The Belgian star, seeking her third Sydney title, hasn't lost a match since dropping her semifinal against Marion Bartoli at Wimbledon.

Henin saved three break points in her first service game, but played strongly for the remainder of the first set, breaking Ivanovic in the third and seventh games.

The pair traded breaks in the first two games of the second set before Ivanovic broke Henin in the sixth game and again in the eighth, when she needed only one set point to close out the set. Henin is unbeaten in four matches against Ivanovic.

"In the third set I just worked on my attitude," Henin said. "Be positive and play point after point and be a little more aggressive."