Pierce beats top seed

France took Mary Pierce to its heart yesterday when the 30-year-old crushed world number one Lindsay Davenport 6-3 6-2 to reach the French Open semi-finals.

"It's crazy," said Pierce after receiving a standing ovation from the Roland Garros crowd.

"I have just beaten the world number one in straight sets. I need a bit of time to realise what I have done."

Joining Davenport at the exit was second seed Maria Sharapova who was pounded 6-4 6-2 by Justine Henin-Hardenne, ending the Russian's hopes of taking the world number one spot.

Pierce, champion in 2000, will play Elena Likhovtseva for a place in the final after the Russian beat Bulgarian 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva 2-6 6-4 6-4.

In the men's quarter-finals top seed and world number one Roger Federer swept past Romania's Victor Hanescu 6-2 7-6 6-3 to set up what could be one of the great matches of 2005.

The Swiss now faces Rafael Nadal, the king of clay this season, after the 18-year-old crushed fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 7-5 6-2 6-0.

Nadal is bidding to become the first player to win the claycourt grand slam at the first attempt since Mats Wilander in 1982.

Like Henin-Hardenne, he has won 22 straight matches.

Top seed Federer, whose previous best result on the Paris clay was a quarter-final appearance in 2001, became the second active player behind Andre Agassi to have reached the last four at four consecutive grand slam events.

"Being in the semi-finals for the first time here is great," said the Swiss who is yet to drop a set.

"I'm very satisfied with my game and my form so far. I feel I have plenty of energy left."

Wimbledon champion Sharapova stayed with Henin-Hardenne for the first six games but had no answer to the former world number one's weight of shot and folded in the second set.

"It went well, I am reaching a crescendo in the tournament," Henin-Hardenne, the 2003 champion, said.

"The most important thing is to win matches without playing your best tennis... I did that."

The Belgian, conqueror of US Open champion Svetlana Kuznet-sova in the fourth round, faces her third consecutive Russian for a place in Saturday's final after Nadia Petrova stopped the surprise run of 17-year-old Ana Ivanovic 6-2 6-2.

Petrova will be eyeing Henin-Hardenne warily - the Belgian has beaten Russians in the finals of her last three tournaments, most recently Petrova in Berlin where she also beat Sharapova, squaring their head-to-head record 1-1.

Sharapova received more than €110,000 for her efforts but knew she had finished second best.

"You hit a big shot and she can come up with a heavier shot, with a tougher shot, closer to the line," the Russian said.

Sharapova now heads for greener pastures to tune her grasscourt game as she prepares to defend her Wimbledon crown this month.

Petrova was never worried by 17-year-old Ivanovic who was making her French Open debut.

The Serb had won her share of the limelight on the Paris clay, notably with a third-round defeat of local favourite Amelie Mauresmo, but was never in contention yesterday.

Likhovtseva made heavy weather of Karatantcheva before booking her first grand slam semi-final place in 46 attempts.

"I was nervous," she smiled.

The 29-year-old resorted to slow, looped groundstrokes to keep the ball in play against an opponent almost half her age.

"I know it was ugly but, you know, I still won the match," she laughed.