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)