Vadisova’s run ends

PARIS – She’d come so far, so fast, reaching her first Grand Slam semifinal at 17, that perhaps Nicole Vaidisova just wasn’t quite ready to win it.

Closing in on a third consecutive upset at Roland Garros, Vaidisova served for the match against 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, and later was two points from victory. Each time, the Czech teen’s composure cracked, allowing Kuznetsova to win 5-7, 7-6 (5), 6-2 Thursday and reach the French Open final.

Kuznetsova’s opponent Saturday will be defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne, whose 6-3, 6-2 victory over No. 2-seeded Kim Clijsters lacked any of the drama and wild momentum swings of the other semifinal.

“I never come to a Grand Slam thinking I’m going to win it, or if I have chances to win it. I just come there, and I play every match. Every match I can, I just do my best,” said Kuznetsova, 1-10 against Henin-Hardenne. “You have to think step by step.”

It would be tough to blame Vaidisova for thinking ahead when it was her turn to serve while leading 5-4 in the second set. A little more than 1 1/2 hours in, and all she needed was four points – four measly points! – to put it away.

“You kind of figure, ‘If I win this game, I’m in the finals,’ ” Vaidisova acknowledged. “But I don’t think I (was) crazy nervous or started shaking or anything. I really didn’t.”

The only real mystery in Henin-Hardenne vs. Clijsters was when the scoreboards would start working. They were dark until the ninth game, by which point Henin-Hardenne was well on her way in the all-Belgian matchup.

“It’s always, for me, very special to play well here in Paris,” Henin-Hardenne said. “It’s the place where I want to play my best tennis and where I want to win.”

Henin-Hardenne hasn’t lost a set, and her only scare Thursday came when she tripped behind the baseline and fell – and she even won that point, when Clijsters whiffed.

“She was too good,” said Clijsters, the reigning U.S. Open champion. “A lot of times, I was dominating the points, but I just couldn’t finish them off.”

Clijsters made 29 unforced errors to only nine winners.

Henin-Hardenne’s coach, Carlos Rodriguez, put it plainly: “When you give Justine lots of errors, lamentably, you lose – and easily.”