Serena Williams admitted she was shocked by her 6-4, 6-3 exit to two-time defending champion Justine Henin at the French Open on Tuesday.
PARIS: Australian Open champion Serena Williams admitted she was shocked by her 6-4, 6-3 exit to two-time defending champion Justine Henin at the French Open on Tuesday.
Williams, seeking a second Paris title five years after her first, had vowed to put the humiliation of her title loss here in 2003 to Henin behind her and add to the crown she won in Melbourne earlier this year.
But the 25-year-old was once again left banging her racket in frustration as she was outplayed by her Belgian opponent in their quarter-final tie.
"Nothing worked today. You just have days like that. I don't know what it was. There's really no explanation for it," said Williams, after the tie which lasted just 1hr 18min on the Philippe Chatrier centre court.
"I just pretty much stood back and let her take advantage of me. And I feel violated. All she had to do was show up."
The American was struggling from the outset as she lost her opening service game to the three-time French Open champion. Henin took advantage of a string of errors by her opponent, wrapping up the first set 6-4 after 40 minutes with a powerful forehand down the line.
And as four years ago Williams again had to contend with the jeers from the crowd as she smashed her racket to the ground after losing her opening service game in the second set.
Rather than let it demoralise her she hit back immediately claiming her opponent's serve to love and held for 2-1.
But Henin broke back immediately and Williams threw away a chance to get back into the match when she led 40-15 on her serve in the fifth game only to be broken.
"Everything was going wrong. Serena kept hitting balls in the net and Serena kept making errors," said Williams.
"I've never played so hideous and horrendous and all those other words I can use to describe my play today. I think all she had to do was show up."
The manner of her loss hurt more than missing out on a calendar Grand Slam.
"I was here to win the French Open. I wasn't here to think about a calendar Grand Slam. It was all about winning here in Paris, you know, doing it again," she said.
Henin has not lost a match at Roland Garros since being upset by Italy's Tathiana Garbin in the second round in 2004.
But the 2003, 2005 and 2006 champion refused to put her victory down to Williams' poor form.
"It's her opinion. I thought I just did a good job," she said.
"From the first point until the end I had been very focused. I didn't let her come back in the match except for two games in the beginning of the second set.
"I just understood if I was mentally and emotionally under control today I was going to win this match.
"I knew that she's a real fighter and she can come back in the match any time. I din't want that today."
"Whether I play well or not it doesn't matter. What is important for me is to win."
Henin, who missed the Australian Open as she came to terms with her marriage breakup, next meets Serb Jelena Jankovic whom she has beaten in all five of their previous meetings and has reached her first Grand Slam semi-final.
"It's going to be another difficult match. I'm one of the oldest on the circuit now. Tennis is evolving and new players are coming through," she added of a player who is just three years her junior.
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