The outcome was the same though it was the imperious tennis of
Justine Henin everybody was talking about this time when the
Belgian top seed outclassed Serena Williams at the French Open in
Paris Tuesday.
Henin's 6-4, 6-3 quarterfinal victory means she has now won 31
consecutive sets at the claycourt slam. More importantly she is two
wins away from equaling the hat-trick of titles achieved at Roland
Garros by Monica Seles in 1992.
Williams, the 2002 champion here, knew she was well beaten by a
better claycourt player and warmly congratulated Henin at the end,
a far cry from the bad-tempered 2003 semifinal when she was booed
off court and later called Henin a liar.
Williams, who had won her past 11 grand slam matches, was the
lone remaining American in men's or women's singles. She was
puzzled by her poor play but reluctant to credit Henin.
"All she had to do was show up," Williams said. "I just pretty
much stood back and let her take advantage of me."
Responded Henin: "It's her opinion. I thought I just did a good
job. And I just see it from my point of view, and I did everything
I could to control the match."
Unlike other players, Henin was able to draw on a wide variety
of shots to keep Williams off balance. Henin is best known for her
picturesque backhand, but she did considerable damage with her
forehand, hitting deep to control rallies against Williams.
"She didn't look very aggressive," Henin said. "When I could
make her run a little bit, it was easier for me."
Joining Henin in tomorrow's semifinals is Maria Sharapova, who
reached the last four for the first time by brushing aside fellow
20-year-old Russian Anna Chavetadze 6-3, 6-4.
Jelena Jankovic and Anna Ivanovic also won, giving Serbia two
women in the semifinals of a grand slam for the first time.
Fourth seed Jankovic, the hottest player on tour 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.
"Wherever you go you just see Serbians all over the place,
winning all these matches it's incredible," said the 22-year-old
Jankovic, who will now face Henin in her first semifinal in
Paris.
Novak Djokovic has the chance to join them today in the men's
event.
Roger Federer's 36-set record winning streak in grand slam
tournaments was snapped by ninth seeded Tommy Robredo but that did
not stop the Swiss from sweeping into the semifinals with a 7-5,
1-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory.
The world No. 1 and Australian Open champion had not dropped a
set at a major since losing the second in his four-set triumph over
Andy Roddick in the U.S. Open final last September.
He will next face either Russian fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko
or Guillermo Canas, the Argentine who beat Federer in successive
tournaments earlier this season.
The 19-year-old Ivanovic could not stop smiling after reaching
her first grand-slam semifinal by beating Kuznetsova. She romped to
the first set in 21 minutes and dominated again in the third set
after her Russian opponent, hampered by an abdominal injury,
briefly came to her senses.
"It's very exciting for us and I'm sure people back home are
very proud of us," said Ivanovic after going one step further than
she managed here in 2005. She plays Sharapova next.
Despite winning in straight sets, Jankovic was given a much
sterner examination by Vaidisova, the youngest player in the last
eight and a semifinalist last year.
The match came to the boil when Vaidisova broke to level the
second set at 5-5, saving a match point in the process, but she
immediately lost her own serve.
Vaidisova saved three more match points, two with flashing
winners, before Jankovic won it at the fifth attempt.
(Shanghai Daily June 6, 2007)