Henin, who won the tournament in 2004 and finished runner-up in 2006 and 2010, needed all her legendary fighting qualities to subdue an inspired Mirza in 2hr 12mins.
The 28-year-old Belgian looked on track for a straightforward win when she served for the first set at 5-4, only to stumble and allow Mirza to come back and win the next three games to clinch a pulsating opener in 60 minutes.
Seven-time major-winner Henin came out firing at the start of the second, breaking Mirza immediately and opening a 2-0 lead.Mirza broke back to level the set, but Henin came again, breaking the Indian's serve twice more to wrap up the second set and get the match back on terms.
An increasingly confident Henin stormed away with the third set to take the match and move into a second round clash against British hope Elena Baltacha.
Mirza will be pleased with her efforts against Henin following a career marred by a persistent right wrist injury.
The 24-year-old from Hyderabad, making her seventh consecutive main draw appearance at the Australian Open, fell in qualifying in Auckland in her first tournament of the year before successfully reaching the main draw here.
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