June 06: Justin Henin Hardine, with a brilliant performance on Tuesday, defeated Serena Williams, with utmost ease and sublime strokes at Roland Garros. With her latest win she has now won 31 consecutive sets at the clay court, after outclassing Serena 6-4, 6-3 in the quarter finals.
Henin is also just two wins away from leveling the hat-trick set by Monica Seles in 1992. The Belgian top seed put aside memories of her acrimonious clash with Serena Williams four years ago, to beat the Australian Open champion like a true force and register her rebirth in French Open semi-finals.
“From the first point to the last I was focused, I was mentally and emotionally under control today,” said Henin.
In fact the score line does not tell us completely how comfortably Henin over took Serena. The 2002 champion Serena looked out of sorts and cracked many of her forehands into the net.
Henin stamped her mark on clay by taking the first set with a forehand winner while Williams succumbed by slamming many of her misfiring forehands into the net.
“All she had to do today was show up,” Williams told reporters later. “I've never played so hideous and horrendous.”
Henin will now face fourth seed Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic for a place in Saturday's final. Jelena Jankovic also made it to the semi finals after beating 18-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova 6-3, 7-5.
Another Serbian Anna Ivanovic also made to the semi finals after beating 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-0, 3-6, 6-1. It is for the first time that the two women will represent their country in the last four of the grand slam announcing the emergence of Serbian tennis power.
Anna Ivanovic will take on 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.
“Wherever you go you just see Serbs 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 semi-final at Roland Garros.
The 19-year-old Ivanovic was all joy and smiles after reaching her first Grand Slam semi-final.
“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 to line up a semi-final with Sharapova.
Sharapova too did not hide her jubilation after beating Chakvetadze for the second time this year in a grand slam last night.
“I'm not going to go 'Wow! I'm in the semi-finals,” said Sharapova. “Whether it's clay or mud we're playing on I know what I'm capable of,” she added.
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