Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova followed up her upset win over world number one Amelie Mauresmo by dazzling another grand slam champion in the French Open tennis quarterfinals last night (NZ time).
This time the 17-year-old mesmerised Wimbledon title-holder Venus Williams 6-7 6-1 6-3 to confirm she is the emerging force
of women's tennis.
Belgian Kim Clijsters stopped Martina Hingis in her tracks while men's top seed Roger Federer and women's defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne bounded into the last four.
Clijsters beat a tired Hingis 7-6 6-1 and will now face compatriot Henin-Hardenne, a rematch of the 2003 final in which Clijsters capitulated 6-0 6-4.
Vaidisova's win over the older Williams sister mirrored her shock fourth-round victory over Australian Open champion Mauresmo when she also lost a tiebreak before dominating the following two sets.
The German-born Czech turned 17 only in April and if she wins the title she will become the second youngest winner of the French Open behind Monica Seles, who was 16 when she won the claycourt grand slam in 1990.
"I'm so excited I could just scream now," gasped the teenager, who plays Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova for a place in the final.
"I'm not even thinking about the match yet. I'm still in my little la-la land. I'll figure out something tomorrow."
A product of the Nick Bollettieri academy in Florida, Vaidisova describes Steffi Graf as her inspiration. Her best previous run at a grand slam was reaching the US Open fourth round last year.
"It's great, twice in a row. I struggled a little bit with some parts today and still pulled it off. It definitely boosts your confidence a lot," she said.
Former world number one Hingis, who is back on tour after a three-year career break, was playing for a fifth consecutive day at Roland Garros, which endured a rain-hit first week, and she sagged noticeably in the second set.
"I was a little flat," said the Swiss. "I was a little tired. I didn't have the energy going I had in the first three matches. I had a rough schedule the last three, four days."
Clijsters also knocked Hingis out of the Australian Open quarterfinals in January and once again her greater weight of shot counted for more than her opponent's tactical nous.
If she beats Henin-Hardenne on her 23rd birthday on Thursday, she will also reclaim the world number one spot from France's Mauresmo.
Federer is now only two wins from becoming the third man in history to hold all four grand slam titles simultaneously after demolishing Croatian Mario Ancic 6-4 6-3 6-4.
The Swiss treated the centre court crowd to some astounding tennis to set up a tricky semifinal against Argentine third seed David Nalbandian, who overcame Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-3 6-3 2-6 6-4.
Nalbandian leads their head-to-head record 6-5.
"It was a really good match for me, I'm very happy," said Federer, who is closing in on a rematch with defending champion Rafael Nadal, who beat him in last year's semi-finals.
"Once again in the semifinals, that's the first objective achieved for me at Roland Garros."
Henin-Hardenne was too crafty for German Anna-Lena Groenefeld, winning 7-5 6-2. Like Clijsters, she has yet to drop a set.
Kuznetsova recovered from an atrocious start to beat fellow Russian Dinara Safina, the conqueror of Maria Sharapova, 7-6 6-0.
"I was just playing disgusting points," said Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion. "I looked like junior out there. I mean, I felt ridiculous."
- REUTERS
Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova followed up her upset win over world number one Amelie Mauresmo by dazzling another grand slam champion in the French Open tennis quarterfinals last night (NZ time).
This time the 17-year-old mesmerised Wimbledon title-holder Venus Williams 6-7 6-1 6-3 to confirm she is the emerging force
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