Eleven years ago, Justine Henin-Hardenne attended the French Open with her mom, Francoise, and watched Monica Seles defeat Steffi Graf for the championship on the red clay at Roland Garros.

As the young 10-year-old Henin-Hardenne watched, she dreamed of playing in that tournament some day and maybe even winning the title.

On Saturday, her childhood dream came true as she dominated her Belgium countrywoman, Kim Clijsters, to win the French Open title 6-0, 6-4.

It was the first Grand Slam title for the now 21-year-old Henin-Hardenne, and she won it in dominating fashion, and she dedicated it to her mom, who died of cancer in 1995.

"I dedicated (the win) to my mother because when I came here 11 years ago with her, I said, 'One day I'll be on this court and maybe I'll win," she said after the final.

"And today I did. I think she gave me all the energy I needed to win the match. When I woke up this morning I said, 'You'll have to win, you'll have to do it for your mom.' And it was a lot of emotion at the end of the match."

She did not have an easy path to the final during the two-week French tournament, however. While most of her matches were two and done, she had a two tough matches, each of which tested her resolve and helped her improve as the tournament progressed.

The first test occurred in her fourth round match against a determined Patty Schnyder, which she won 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.

Then in the semifinals, she struggled with her game and her nerves to defeat the No. 1 player in the world, Serena Williams, in a grueling three-setter, 6-2,4-6, 7-5, to earn her way into the championship.

In the final, she seemed to take her game to an even higher level.

She served first to open the match, and kept Clijsters off balance with continuous pressure from both her forehand and backhand. She easily won that first game.

Clijsters then served and took a 40-0 lead, but then Henin-Hardenne stormed back with five points in a row, and finally won the game to make it 2-0.

It was clear from the first two games that Henin-Hardenne's game plan was to continuously put pressure on Clijsters. In almost all the points played in the first two games, Henin-Hardenne either won the point or lost the point. Clijsters, meanwhile, appeared tight, tentative, and was just reacting to Henin-Hardenne's shots.

Henin-Hardenne won her next service game to make it 3-0, then Clijsters once again took a 40-0 lead in her own service game. But once again, Henin-Hardenne continued to hit out and came back for the second time in a row to break Clijsters to take a 4-0 lead.

Henin-Hardenne held her own serve to make it 5-0, then broke Clijsters for the third time in a row. She closed out the first set with a beautifully placed backhand drop shot.

The second set was more of the same, as Henin-Hardenne opened up a quick lead, but then Clijsters began to go on the offensive and finally found some rhythm to her shots.

Over the years, Henin-Hardenne has been plagued with some horrible mental collapses, especially in finals, where she's been up a set and a few games, only to let the match and the title slip away.

In fact, it was only two years ago at the French Open, when she was up 6-2 and 4-1 in the second set against Clijsters, and let the match slip away.

In the second set, Clijsters finally got on the board, but then fell behind 1-3. Slowly, she began to play stronger and climbed back into the set, then breaking Henin-Hardenne to tie the set at 4-4.

I thought about what happened in 2001 but it wasn't the same kind of situation," Henin-Hardenne said. "I wasn't afraid to lose. I said, 'If you want to win this tournament, you'll have to play great.' That's what I did."

In quick fashion, Henin-Hardenne broke right back to make it 5-4, then served for the set. On the final point, Clijsters hit a forehand that ticked the net cord, then fell back to her side of the court to give Henin-Hardenne the title.

The win started a celebration not just for Henin-Hardenne, but for those people closest to her, husband Pierre-Yves and her coach of seven years, Carlos Rodriguez.

Henin Hardenne's rise to a tennis champion is both inspiring and heartbreaking -- right out of a of a fairy tale. After her mom died, she had to take care of her brothers and sisters. Then she had a falling out with her father, which lasted until late last year. And all the while, she pursued the dream of becoming a top pro tennis player.

The Henin-Hardenne that took the court for the final of the French Open on Saturday was a totally different player from last year. If you look at photos of her from last year and this year, you'll see the extra muscle packed onto her 5'6" frame, which is a testament to her determination to become a champion.

How did she do it?

During the offseason, she teamed up with legendary trainer, Pat Etcheberry, who had whipped both Jim Courier and Pete Sampras into championship shape.

Working with him, she added strength and stamina to her game, and it's shown in her results this year. So far she won the Dubai Open, Family Circle Cup, defended her German Open title, and now the French.

In the process, she has defeated Serena Williams the last two times they've played and now Clijsters twice.

Without a doubt, her new found strength and stamina have also helped her mental game. However, tennis is not her whole life and she's also grounded and has her priorities firmly set.

Winning "was a dream when I was young," she said. "It comes reality now. But, it's not everything. Today I win the French Open, it's great for my career, but it's not everything in my life. It's just a big step, it's just a great moment, and I'll try to enjoy it 100 percent. But, I have people that I love around me, and that's the most important thing for me."

With her French Open title now in the books, the ever-focused Henin-Hardenne will now set her sights on Wimbledon, where she played in the final two years ago.

If she continues to play and improve the way she has so far this year, the tennis world might soon be seeing a change at the top of the women's tennis rankings.

From a little girl with a dream, to French Open champion in just 11 years, Justine Henin-Hardenne's fairy tale tennis story might only be just beginning.

For more information on Henin-Hardenne's career, see www.justine-henin-hardenne.net. It is an excellent web site, which contains stories, interviews, articles, results and more on her career.