Henin reaches French Open semifinals

Belgian teen–ager Justine Henin advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal today, beating unseeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskaya in straight sets at the French Open.

The 14th–seeded Henin took just 50 minutes to eliminate her opponent 6–1, 6–2.

"I don't want to stop, having come so far," said the 1.67–meter (5–ft–6) player, eying a spot in the final.

The 19–year–old had not gotten past the fourth round in a Grand Slam prior to this year's French Open, where she has racked up five consecutive straight–set wins.

Henin was close to shutting out Krasnoroutskaya in the second set, but faltered at 5–0 love up, losing the next two games. She quickly recovered her composure and sealed the match with a crosscourt forehand.

All of her matches so far have been against unseeded players and she will likely face her first real test in the semis, with compatriot Kim Clijsters a probable opponent.

Clijsters, seeded 12th, was to play Hungarian qualifier Petra Mandula Tuesday.

No. 4 Jennifer Capriati and No. 6 Serena Williams were to meet in the toughest quarterfinal clash in the women's draw.

Whoever wins will likely face top–seeded Martina Hingis in the semis. She was to play 51st–ranked Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Andre Agassi's love affair with the French public faces a tough test on Wednesday, when he plays local favorite Sebastien Grosjean, the only Frenchman in the quarterfinals.

"I will understand the loyalty factor," Agassi said. "I'm going to do my best to not hear anything out there and just go to work."

The lack of crowd support could work in Agassi's favor.

Grosjean, 23, is playing only his second Grand Slam quarterfinal and his first at Roland Garros. With the weight of national expectation on his shoulders, he risks the fate of Amelie Mauresmo, the Frenchwoman who was hyped to win the tournament, but lost in the first round. She blamed her defeat on pressure from the French public.

If Grosjean doesn't please fans, he'll soon know about it. Compatriot Sandrine Testud saw an egg land near her feet during her fourth–round loss to Hingis.

Unlike Mauresmo, Grosjean will have the advantage of going into the match as the underdog.

He lost to Agassi in straight sets in their only previous meeting, a first–round match at the 1998 U.S. Open.

They narrowly missed playing each other again in the final of this year's Australian Open. Grosjean was beaten by countryman Arnaud Clement in a five–set semifinal.

"A match like that can really take your legs out for a long time," Agassi said. "Instead of it hurting (Grosjean), it seems like he played better. That says a lot for his spirit."

The third–seeded American is bidding for his second title at the French in 13 attempts.

An 18–year–old semifinalist in 1988, Agassi reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros in 1990. He was runner–up that year and the next, but had to wait until 1999 to finally capture the title and claim a career Grand Slam.

"Losing two finals, there was always something that felt missing in my career," Agassi said. "I always got the feeling something was missing for the French people."

French Open Results

Women Singles Quarterfinals

(1) Martina Hingis (Swit) def. Francesca Schiavone (Ita) 6–1, 6–4.

(4) Jennifer Capriati (USA) def. (6) Serena Williams (USA) 6–2, 5–7, 6–2.

(12) Kim Clijsters (Bel) def. Petra Mandula (Hun) 6–1, 6–3.

(14) Justine Henin (Bel) def. Lina Krasnoroutskaya (Rus) 6–1, 6–2.

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Men Singles Quarterfinals

(1) Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) def. (7) Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(3), 6–4.

(4) Juan Carlos Ferrero (Spa) def. (6) Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) 6–4, 6–2, 6–1.

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Men Doubles Quarterfinals

Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes (Ind) def. Tomas Cibulec and Leos Friedl (Cze) 7–5, 6–4.

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Mixed Doubles Quarterfinals

Paola Suarez (Arg) and Jaime Oncins (Bra) def. Lisa Raymond (USA) and Leander Paes (Ind) 7–5, 6–1.

Virginia Ruano Pascual and Tomas Carbonell (Spa) def. Karina Habsudova (Slovak) and David Rikl (Cze) 6–3, 3–6, 7–5.