Paris – Death, divorce, illness, injuries, a lawsuit: Set tennis aside for a moment, and ponder just how much Serena Williams and Justine Henin have dealt with since the last time they met at the French Open.
That was in the 2003 semifinals, as bitter a big match as this sport has produced lately. A pro-Henin crowd cheered Williams’ mistakes, then booed her off the court. During a teary news conference after her loss, Williams accused Henin of “lying and fabricating” about whether she had held up a hand to stop play.
“It seems,” Williams said Sunday, “like decades ago.”
They set up a Roland Garros rematch in this year’s quarterfinals with matter-of-fact victories Sunday: No. 8-seeded Williams beat No. 10 Dinara Safina of Russia 6-2, 6-3, while No. 1 Henin defeated No. 20 Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-2, 6-4.
Less straightforward was No. 2 Maria Sharapova’s 3-6, 6-4, 9-7 win against No. 14 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland. Sharapova saved two match points, was two points from defeat on 11 occasions, and broke when Schnyder served for the match at 5-4, 6-5 and 7-6 in the third set, then again in the closing game.
“Don’t count on me giving up,” Sharapova said.
The other women’s quarterfinals are 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova against No. 7 Ana Ivanovic, and No. 4 Jelena Jankovic against No. 6 Nicole Vaidisova.
Two men’s quarterfinals were set Sunday. No. 1 Roger Federer tied John McEnroe’s Open era record for consecutive Grand Slam sets won at 35 with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4 victory over No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. Federer faces No. 9 Tommy Robredo for a semifinal spot, and No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko of Russia plays No. 19 Guillermo Canas of Argentina.
Henin has won 29 consecutive sets and two straight titles at Roland Garros; Williams has won her past 11 Grand Slam matches. As well as both are playing right now, any discussion of what’s to come Tuesday on Court Philippe Chatrier is tied to what happened in that same spot exactly four years ago – and everything that’s happened to them since.
“I don’t want to reflect on that anymore. I let it go. This is a new year,” Williams said. “It was what it was, but we’re both different people now.”
That they are. On June 5, 2003, each was 21 and seemingly without a worry in the world.
Williams was ranked No. 1, with four consecutive major titles for a self-styled “Serena Slam,” and was beginning to dabble in acting.
When Henin won the French Open two days later, she collected the first of what are now five major trophies; by October, she was ranked No. 1. Plus, she was a newlywed, and added her husband’s last name, Hardenne, to her own after they were married in November 2002.
She skipped the Australian Open in January while going through a separation from her husband. She only recently re-established a connection with her estranged father and siblings; her mother died of cancer in 1994. And Henin was away from the tour for months at a time in 2004 and 2005 because of an energy-sapping blood virus and assorted injuries, including to her knee and back.
Glance
A look at the tournament:
Weather: Sunny. High of 77 degrees Sunday.
Today’s forecast: Sunny, with a chance of showers in the afternoon. High of 75.
On court today: No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 14 Lleyton Hewitt, No. 6 Novak Djokovic vs. Fernando Verdasco, No. 16 Marcos Baghdatis vs. Igor Andreev, No. 23 Carlos Moya vs. Jonas Bjorkman.
Stat of the day: 19 – Number of combined service breaks in Maria Sharapova’s 3-6, 6-4, 9-7 victory over Patty Schnyder, including 11 in the final set.
Quote of the day: “At the end, yeah, she was the big champion. I’m the little one who could not win.” – Schnyder, who wasted two match points against Sharapova
