Women’s final set

NEW YORK – Maria Sharapova never doubted herself for a moment.

Not in the two-plus years since her breakthrough Wimbledon title. Not after going 0-5 in subsequent Grand Slam semifinals. Certainly not after being broken to lose the second set Friday at the U.S. Open against No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo.

“I just thought to myself, ‘It’s not over until it’s over,’ ” Sharapova said. “I was still playing good tennis, and I knew that I could win it.”

She did just that, beating Mauresmo 6-0, 4-6, 6-0 to set up a U.S. Open final against No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne, who took the last 10 games for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over a collapsing Jelena Jankovic.

“I came back from nowhere today,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I feel lucky to be in the final.”

So might Sharapova, who entered the day 0-3 against Mauresmo and with that growing Slam semifinal jinx. But the Florida-based Russian set aside her mediocre middle set and put together a rare double shutout: It was the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a female semifinalist here lost two sets at love.

While Mauresmo’s bid to win a third major championship this year ended, Roger Federer will try to move closer to his trio of 2006 Slam titles when he faces No. 7 Nikolay Davydenko in one men’s semifinal this afternoon. Andy Roddick, the 2003 Open champion, meets unseeded Mikhail Youzhny in the other.

Tonight, Sharapova will try to overcome a 1-4 head-to-head mark against Henin-Hardenne.

“I had a terrible record against Amelie, and that ended today,” Sharapova said. “I have a terrible record against Justine, so I hope that’s a good luck charm at the Open.”

Punctuating nearly every powerful stroke with high-pitched shouts – her “Aaah! or “Whoo!” so loud at times that spectators snickered – Sharapova dictated the pace from the baseline and kept Mauresmo away from the net by whipping passing shots at will.

There were moments, such as the start of the third set, that Sharapova would suddenly go silent, swallowing her grunts. Then, flipping the switch, the noise returned, louder than ever. After the match, Sharapova wore a gold-flecked T-shirt with the words: “I feel pretty when I grunt.”

While Sharapova reached her first U.S. Open final, French Open champion Henin-Hardenne – the runner-up at Melbourne Park and the All England Club – became the first woman since 1997 to reach all four Slam finals in a single season. Not without a scare, though.

Serving terribly, and her groundstrokes missing some oomph because of an aching back, Henin-Hardenne dug a big hole, falling behind by a set and a break.

“I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the match. She did put a lot of pressure on me,” said Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 U.S. Open champion. “That was the kind of match I would have lost a year or two years ago.”

Jankovic was a point from taking a 5-2 lead in the second set – in other words, she was five points from victory – when she completely fell apart after a long argument with chair umpire Enric Molina.