Once again, Justine Henin-Hardenne rose to the occasion on her favorite stage.
The two-time French Open champion earned another berth in the final, taking advantage of Belgian compatriot Kim Clijsters' erratic play to win 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday.
"I have a lot of ambition," said Henin-Hardenne, the Roland Garros champion in 2003 and 2005. "Beating Kim is special, but I must not relax. I can win a third French Open, and that means a lot."
Her opponent on Saturday will be 2004 US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who ended 17-year-old Nicole Vaidisova's breakthrough week by rallying to win 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2.
Vaidisova served for the match in the second set and was two points from her first Grand Slam final at 5-all in the tiebreaker, but a wave of errors by the teen turned the tide.
"I had my chances, of course. It happens," said Vaidisova, chomping gum in her postmatch news conference. "Of course I'm disappointed. I love to win and I hate to lose. But I can be proud of how I did."
Kuznetsova, seeded eighth, drew on her big-match experience and played better as their match progressed. She committed only one unforced error in the final set, winning the first four games and serving well to finish off Vaidisova.
"In the second set, she was just playing unbelievable," Kuznetsova said. "Finally she got little bit nervous. I know how it feels, because I've been there in her position so many times, and I've done it."
In the men's semifinals on Friday, No. 3-seeded David Nalbandian and No. 4 Ivan Ljubicic will try to play spoilers, with top-ranked Roger Federer and defending champion Rafael Nadal one round from a much-anticipated showdown in the final. It's the first time since 1985 that the four top-seeded men have reached the semifinals at Roland Garros.
The women's semifinals took place under a cloudless sky with temperatures around 20?C, and Henin-Hardenne was as good as the weather.
"She's the best clay-court player at the moment, and she played a good match today," Clijsters said.
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