After trading the first two sets Saturday, Petkovic broke the top-seeded Belgian in the second game of the final set before holding serve for a comfortable 3-0 lead.
But Henin held serve and blasted a forehand winner on her way to breaking the German in the fifth game. Henin, who did not drop a set or face a tiebreak heading into the final, completed a stunning rally by breaking Petkovic in the ninth game.
Earlier Saturday, Sergiy Stakhovsky beat seventh-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-0 to win the men’s title.
Meantime, former No. 1 Dinara Safina has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a lower back injury which has plagued her since November.
Safina, a semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, was to be seeded 20th this year. She has lost her last four matches since April, including at the French Open, her last appearance on tour.
Safina’s spot in the draw was taken by 18-year-old American Melanie Oudin, who made a dramatic run to the U.S Open quarterfinals last year. Oudin was seeded 33rd on Saturday.
Stephanie Dubois of Canada also entered the draw as a lucky loser.
