Williams, Kuznetsova, Chakvetadze join Henin in semis

Updated: September 6, 2007, 1:25 AM ET

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Associated Press

Venus Faces Henin in the Semis

Venus defeats Jankovic in 3 setsTags: Tennis

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NEW YORK -- Venus Williams got her Grand Slam groove back just in time.

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Way down Wednesday night, Williams turned her game on when she needed to and then got some help from a fading foe to beat No. 3-seeded Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) to return to the U.S. Open semifinals for the first time since 2002.

Williams was able to do what her sister, Serena, couldn't in the quarterfinals the night before: overcome a daunting deficit against a top opponent. And now Venus will play the woman who beat Serena, No. 1 Justine Henin.

"I was so disappointed. I watched. More than anything, she's my little sister, so watching her be upset is hard for me," Venus Williams said. "I've got to play well Friday for her."

In the other semifinal, 2004 Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova will meet No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze, a matchup between two Russians.

Against Jankovic, the older Williams took a while to find the mark, falling behind by a set and a break. But by the end she was playing as well as she did en route to winning Wimbledon in July for her sixth Grand Slam title.

Jankovic made four unforced errors to allow Williams to take control in the tiebreak. And the American ended it with a swinging forehand volley, an appropriate conclusion given that she made 55 trips to the net, winning 39 of those points. Jankovic was far less aggressive, pushing forward only six times.

Williams dictated play in general, finishing with a whopping 60-17 edge in winners.

"First of all, I want to say well done to Venus," Jankovic said. "She deserved to win. She was better at the end."

Part of the problem for Williams at the outset was Jankovic, of course.

Jankovic enjoyed nearly every moment out there, grinning while waiting to receive serves and laughing even when she shanked a ball off her ankle or, later, when she slipped to the ground and did a full splits on a key third-set point.

Williams, meanwhile, was straight-faced throughout. Until, that is, the match was won. Then she allowed herself a smile.

Jankovic broke in the very first game, managing to return serves of 115 mph and 119 mph and capping it with a perfectly placed lob. That was the first of four lob winners that Jankovic curled like a rainbow over the 6-foot-1 Williams, including one that was so good it drew applause from the American's mom.

Jankovic broke again for a 4-1 edge by smacking a return winner off a 100 mph serve. Then, serving for the opening set at 5-4, Jankovic fell behind love-30 and easily could have folded, much as she did when she blew a huge lead against Henin in last year's Open semifinals.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty ImagesSvetlana Kuznetsova advanced to the semifinals for the first time since winning the 2004 championship.

But this time, she hung tough, taking four points in a row -- including ending one 19-stroke exchange with a backhand winner -- to grab the set. That drew loud chants of "Yell-eh-na!" from Serb supporters standing at the top of the upper deck.

The second set started with more of the same. Williams hit two double-faults -- she wound up with eight -- and wildly missed a swinging volley several feet long to set up another break point. Jankovic converted it with -- what else? -- a lob, then held up a fist and smiled at her mother, who smiled right back.

And right there is where Williams flipped a switch, her game suddenly as bright as all of the flash bulbs popping around Arthur Ashe Stadium. She took seven of the next eight points, opening a six-game sweep through the end of the set.

That sure worked, and the enthralled fans showed their appreciation with a standing ovation before the tiebreak. They repeated the gesture when the match ended.

"It went the distance," Williams said. "It was awesome."

Kuznetsova moved into the semifinals at the U.S. Open for the first time since winning the 2004 title, beating unseeded Agnes Szavay 6-1, 6-4.

"It's my favorite tournament. I love New York," said the No. 4-seeded Kuznetsova, who's been wearing Yankees baseball caps when she's not playing. "It doesn't matter how I feel, I just come to this court and always want to give my best."

Chakvetadze swept the last six games to eliminate No. 18 Shahar Peer 6-4, 6-1 in the day's first quarterfinal.

It will be Chakvetadze's first Grand Slam semifinal. Kuznetsova can count on an edge in experience, having made it to the 2006 French Open final, in addition to claiming her only major championship at Flushing Meadows three years ago.

Since that breakthrough, though, Kuznetsova has had her problems at the American major. In 2005, she became the first defending women's champion to lose in the U.S. Open's first round. In 2006, she exited in the fourth round.

And now? Does she feel as though she can win the title?

"Definitely. Yes," Kuznetsova said. "Of course I believe in myself."

She ended an impressive U.S. Open debut by the 18-year-old Szavay. Kuznetsova gained some insight into Szavay's game when they met in the final of a hard-court tournament at New Haven, Conn., on the last weekend of August. Szavay retired during that match because of a back injury but recovered well enough to make her first major quarterfinal in only her third Slam, and she hadn't lost a set until Wednesday.

The 20-year-old Chakvetadze never had been as far as a major quarterfinal until this year, when she lost at that stage at the Australian Open and French Open. But from 4-4 in the first set, Chakvetadze took control against Peer, the first woman from Israel to play in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

"I just started to play more aggressive," Chakvetadze said.

Simple as that.

"That's why Anna is a top-10 player -- she's playing really good tennis the last few months," Peer said, "and I think it's just a matter of time [until] I will get there."