World number one Justine Henin stayed on course for a rare French Open hat-trick when she outplayed Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday to reach the final.
Top seed Henin, trying to become the first woman to win three successive crowns at Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1992, will face another player from Serbia in Ana Ivanovic in Saturday's title match.
Fourth-seeded Jankovic, 22, lacked composure when it mattered.
Hampered by a weak serve, she was never really in contention and bowed out by sending a forehand wide on the first match point after 8O minutes of play.
The 25-year-old Henin, who also won here in 2003, will still top the rankings next week after world number two Maria Sharapova lost 6-2, 6-1 to Ivanovic in the other semi-final earlier on Thursday.
Sharapova's defeat means Belgian Justine Henin, facing Serbia's Jelena Jankovic in the other semi-final, will still be the world number one next week.
The 19-year-old Ivanovic, seeded seventh, outplayed former Wimbledon champion Sharapova in just 65 minutes, sealing victory with an ace on the first match point to become the first player representing Serbia to make the final of a grand slam event.
Russia's Sharapova, 20, feels more at ease on faster surfaces and had never gone beyond the quarter-finals on the Paris clay before this year.
© 2024 Rediff.com -