U.S. Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia will face French Open winner Justine Henin-Hardenne in the semifinals of the WTA Championships after beating compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-4 on Friday.
Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo of France reached the semis when she downed Belgian Henin-Hardenne 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2. Her opponent on Saturday will either be former two-time winner Kim Clijsters of Belgium or Russia's Elena Dementieva in the elite, season-ending event.
The Sharapova-Henin-Hardenne clash may also decide who finishes 2006 as No. 1. Henin-Hardenne would secure the top ranking if she beats Sharapova, while the 19-year-old must win her second championships in three years.
``It's just another match for me,'' Sharapova said. ``No. 1 or No. 2, I've had a great year so either way I'm not going to come out of the match disappointed.''
Henin-Hardenne admitted she wasn't 100 per cent, but after missing nearly two months, while recovering from a muscle tear in her right knee, she was relieved to be closer to winning her first WTA Championships after missing the last two through injuries.
``I prefer to be focused on how I can win this match,'' Henin-Hardenne said. ``So if I start thinking about (No. 1) and everything, I'm sure it's going to be harder for me. So I'm just trying to stay focused on the tournament and we'll see next week what's happening (with No. 1).''
Sharapova hit 23 winners to Kuznetsova's five, and broke her fellow Russian five times. Sharapova hasn't dropped a set at the championships and notched her 11th straight win.
Top-ranked Mauresmo, struggling to finish the year well, was under pressure to make the semis by having to defeat Henin-Hardenne, and posted her sixth win in 11 career meetings against the Belgian, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon finals this year.
``I'm very happy and very proud about the reaction I have about how the next day I went back on the court and let the frustration out, and I also came back yesterday and today from one set down to finally get the win,'' Mauresmo said. ``So, I'm just very happy.''
Henin-Hardenne and Mauresmo had never met ahead of the semis in any tournament since the first round of the 1999 U.S. Open. Mauresmo won that match.
A net cord in the seventh game gave Henin-Hardenne a break for 4-3 and ultimately the first set.
In the second, they broke each other early and held nervously to force the first tiebreaker of the tournament, where Henin-Hardenne slipped on unforced errors.
Mauresmo broke twice in the third set for 5-2, then served out to hand the Belgian her first indoor loss of 2006. Henin-Hardenne committed 43 unforced errors and nine double faults.
Mauresmo and Henin-Hardenne shared 2-1 records in Yellow Group, which Mauresmo topped on the head-to-head rule. The 1998 and 2000 champ Martina Hingis of Switzerland finished third and Nadia Petrova of Russia last, each with one win and two losses.
Sharapova, the 2004 winner, finished a perfect 3-0 in the Red Group. Clijsters, who won the championships in 2002 and 2003, is second with a 1-1 record. Kuznetsova lies third at 1-2, and No. 7 Dementieva is bottom at 0-2.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
