Home favourite Pierce faces in-form Henin-Hardenne
Pierce, whose win at Roland Garros in 2000 was the last time she took part in a title match in one of the four majors, was too strong for a nervous-looking Likhovtseva, wrapping up a 6-1 6-1 triumph in just 58 minutes.
Home favourite Pierce takes on Belgium’s Justine Henin-Hardenne in tomorrow’s final. Former world number one Henin-Hardenne beat Nadia Petrova 6-2 6-3 in yesterday’s first semi-final.
The last time the pair met was at the Athens Olympics with the French woman losing to the Belgian, who went on to win gold.
Henin-Hardenne could not hide her joy after showing who was boss on the Philippe Chatrier court as she displayed a flawless performance to overcome the Russian, seeded seven.
The Belgian 10th seed broke twice in the first set which she won in 34 minutes before repeating the performance to seal the match in just over one hour.
After experiencing a nightmare 2004 season, which saw her out of action because of glandular fever and then a knee injury, Henin-Hardenne is delighted to have fought her way back to the top.
“This is a tremendous reward after what happened to me last year,” said Henin-Hardenne, who celebrated her 23rd birthday on Tuesday. “I said last year that if I had to reach one last grand slam final in my career it would be at Roland Garros.
“This tournament is so special for me. I love this place, I feel I am at home.”
Henin-Hardenne, who extended her winning streak to 23 matches, always looked in control of the clash, and kept the pressure up on her shell-shocked opponent for the entire contest.
She continued: “I was very patient while remaining aggressive on important points.
“She (Petrova) also looked under pressure. I could feel that, but I kept my pace.
“I am very happy with my game overall and I hope I will continue like that.”
However, one worry for the Belgian, who has won 22 titles in her young career, is her stamina. Having battled her way through to the final, she is starting to feel the strain.
“I am getting tired, that’s why I was happy that I closed out the match so fast,” she said.
“My legs feel heavy and my thigh is not getting better either, but it’s not getting worse either.”
Petrova had no complaints about the final result, as she magnanimously admitted that she had been beaten by a better player on the day.
“She really played well,” said the Russian.
“She started very aggressively and was really going for her shots.
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