http://0rz.tw/642KU French Open - Henin remains on course French Open - Twice defending champion Justine Henin battled past arch-rival Serena Williams 6-4 6-3 to book a semi-final date with Jelena Jankovic at the French Open. Henin and Williams played one hour and 18 minutes of beautiful tennis with both the American eighth seed and the Belgian top seed pulling out all of the stops in a series of wonderful rallies from the baseline and at the net. The victory was sweet revenge for the top-ranked Henin, who lost to Williams at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami earlier this year after failing to convert on two match points. Williams, who won the Australian Open in January, was unable to avenge the memory of her own loss on Roland Garros' centre court in the 2003 semi-final in a match that was marred by controversial line calls, a rain of boos from the Paris crowd, and a tearful Williams leaving the court in frustration. The Belgian, who missed the Oz Open because of her divorce, seemed more in control of her emotions from the outset of the match keeping her cool despite two difficult sets. "I'm taking every match like a final, that's what I did today and that's what I'm going to do on Thursday [in the semi-final]," she said after the match. Henin came roaring out of the gate with a quick break of serve to 30 winning a wonderful rally at the net to confirm the opening game. After both players took easy holds, Henin struggled to keep on break at 2-1 in a beautiful game between two of the best players in the world. The crowd let out consecutive gasps as Williams shanked a backhand volley at the net and then Henin missed her own easy forehand volley to allow Serena to get back to deuce. The pair then exchanged a beautiful series of groundstrokes before Henin drew her opponent in with a drop-shot and won the point with a perfect lob before confirming serve with a gorgeous forehand winner across court from the baseline to take a 3-1 lead. Serena came right back with her own hold to love, before pressing the Belgian into giving up another break point. But again Henin held her nerve ripping a forehand winner at the net to save the break before ultimately holding with a wonderful cross-court backhand winner into the furthest corner of the court. Williams then had another easy held to love hitting a booming ace, and despite the early stutter the American looked the better of the two players in the early going. She then played incredibly aggressively on Henin's serve, attacking the net on the opening two points and hitting consecutive error on two difficult shots. Henin then committed her third double-fault, but finally collected the service hold to 15 which could have easily gone the other way. Williams continued to cruise on her own service games with a hold to 15 hitting another ace before taking the game on a big unreturnable first-serve. Serving for the set Henin hit her third ace to set up a triple set point before shanking the ball horribly off-course to inspire confidence in the few American faithful left in Paris to watch their last challenger in either bracket. But the Belgian outlasted Serena in another long baseline rally, ripping a forehand winner cross-court to hold to 15 and take the opening set 6-4. Henin again made life very difficult for the Australian Open champion pressing Williams to deuce before booking a break chance with a lunging volley at the net for the passing winner. The world number one then took the opening break again by forcing Serena into committing the error. The American released some pent up rage slamming her racket into the ground in frustration and inspiring a chorus of boos from the partisan Philippe Chatrier crowd, who have yet to forget the incident between the two women from the 2003 final. The outburst may have been slightly cathartic for Williams as she immediately won the audience back by ripping a huge forehand to book a triple break point and earning the quick break back as Henin hit a fifth double-fault. The next service game for Williams was a battle, however, as she barely avoided surrendering a break point when a forehand return was ruled to have landed just on the baseline after a line judge re-examined the call. The American did manage to hold from there. But after Henin held with little trouble in the fourth, Williams gave up a second break in a difficult service game that she had two chances to seal. Williams seemed to have recovered a bit of her nerve, pressing Henin into the error after a long baseline rally, but the Belgian then won four straight points for the easy hold to 15 and claim a 4-2 lead. The American's confidence seemed to be shattered from there as she handed Henin a 0-30 lead with two more errors before taking confidence from a Henin error and levelling at 30-30 with a gorgeous lunging volley at the net and ultimately holding with an ace and a service winner. Henin had the match firmly in hand at that point holding to love on an absolute rocket of a cross-court forehand winner from the baseline to force the American to serve to stay in the match. Williams appeared utterly demoralised from there, hitting her second double-fault and committing another unforced forehand error to give the three-time champion a 30-15 lead and send the crowd into a tizzy. Henin was then gifted two match points, and was able to revel in delight at the first as Serena struck another forehand into the net to hand the set to the defending champion 6-3, along with the match and a place in the semi-finals opposite Serbia's Jankovic. - Jeremy Stahl in Paris --

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