The Hindu : Sport : Serena Williams fails to stop Justine Henin

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Serena Williams fails to stop Justine Henin

RELENTLESS: Maria Sharapova was too good for Anna Chakvetadze in their quarterfinal on Tuesday. — PHOTO: AP

PARIS: The jeers were brief in the French Open rematch between Serena Williams and Justine Henin. The result was the same.

Henin won again.

Keeping Williams on the move with her versatile shotmaking, three-time champion Henin advanced to the semifinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on Tuesday.

The meeting was their first at Roland Garros since 2003, when a semifinal victory by Henin included boos for Williams and left a bitter taste on both sides.

The lone jeers this time came when a frustrated Williams slammed her racket to the clay when she lost serve in the opening game of the second set.

The boos quickly subsided, and while the crowd favoured the French-speaking Henin, they applauded Williams when she left the court after the match.

No acrimony

There was no evident acrimony between the players, either. While Williams offered only a perfunctory handshake following their match four years ago, this time when she dumped a forehand in the net on match point, she smiled as she and Henin engaged in a genial exchange at the net.

But in her post-match news conference, Williams was reluctant to credit Henin.

``Nothing worked today. Sometimes you just have days like that,'' Williams said. ``All she had to do was show up.''

Williams, who had won her past 11 Grand Slam matches, was the lone remaining American in men's or women's singles.

Extending her streak

Henin extended her Open era record winning streak at Roland Garros to 31 consecutive sets. The Belgian is two rounds from becoming the first woman to win three consecutive French Open titles since Monica Seles in 1990-92.

``I now feel old on the circuit,'' said Henin, 25. ``Newcomers are coming up. Women's tennis keeps getting better.''

``I managed to hold my serve in the important moments,'' Henin said. ``I managed to impose my game.''

Henin's opponent on Thursday will be No. 4-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who beat No. 6 Nicole Vaidisova 6-3, 7-5.

The other semifinal will be between No. 2 Maria Sharapova and No. 7 Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova beat No. 9 Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4, and Ivanovic defeated 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.

For Sharapova, Ivanovic and Jankovic, it's their best showing at the French Open. Ivanovic is a first-time Grand Slam semifinalist.

Historic

Meanwhile, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic continued a historic French Open for Serbia when they both marched into the semifinals of the women's singles.

Fourth seed Jankovic, the form player on the circuit coming into Roland Garros, beat 18-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-3, 7-5, while Ivanovic, also born in Belgrade, beat 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1 in a topsy turvy encounter.

It is the first time two Serbian women have reached the semifinals at a grand slam tournament and Novak Djokovic has the chance to follow them on Wednesday in the men's event.

The 19-year-old Ivanovic, who lost in the quarters here two years ago, took the first set against a dazed Kuznetsova in just 21 minutes before the Russian belatedly came to her senses and levelled the match.

Kuznetsova asked for the trainer at 1-2 down in the decider, complaining of abdominal pain, and was clearly below-par as the tall Ivanovic marched through the next four games.

Despite winning in straight sets, Jankovic was given a much sterner examination by Vaidisova, the youngest player in the last eight and a semifinalist here last year.

Maria Sharapova reached her first French Open semifinal when she defeated Russian compatriot Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-4 and said she wouldn't be surprised if she went on to win the title.

Sharapova, the reigning US Open champion and former Wimbledon winner, has always been dismissed as a French Open contender with the demanding clay surface exposing her problems with movement around the court.

But at the fifth time of asking, the 20-year-old finally managed to break through into the Roland Garros last four where she will face Serbian teenager Ana Ivanovic for a place in the final.

``I wouldn't be surprised if I won the tournament,'' said Sharapova.

``Others might be surprised because I didn't play a lot on clay when I was younger.

``It also doesn't surprise me that I'm in the semi-finals. I am proud to have made it. In every tournament I play, I always believe in myself whether it's clay or mud. I know what I'm capable of.''

The Russian second seed subdued ninth seed Chakvetdaze in a far more convincing manner than she did to defeat Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in the previous round where she had to save three match points.Thursday's semifinal will be hard to predict.

Sharapova and Ivanovic have shared their only two career meetings and have never played on clay but the young Serb came into Paris buoyed by having won the Berlin claycourt title last month. — Agencies

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