Serena sets up grudge re-match with Henin

Justine Henin and Serena Williams lined up a grudge re-match at the French Open after they hurtled into the quarter-finals yesterday.

Four years after Williams was booed off court following an acrimonious semi-final with the Belgian, the duo will face each other across the net for the first time since that day.

Williams was the first to book her place in the last eight, darting past Dinara Safina 6-2 6-3. Three hours later, Henin ousted Sybille Bammer 6-2 6-4.

Roger Federer's charge towards an elusive French Open title gathered momentum as he silenced roaring Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 6-4 6-4. Next up for the world number one will be ninth seed Tommy Robredo.

The Swiss maestro, who is bidding to become only the third man to win all four majors in a row, has now won a record-equalling 35 successive sets at grand slams dating back to his triumph at the 2006 US Open.

"If I can win in three sets so much the better but I'm not looking for these types of records," was Federer's verdict on matching John McEnroe's 1984 feat.

Russian Nikolay Davydenko chose the perfect time to snap a run of four straight defeats by David Nalbandian late yesterday, edging through a punishing fourth-round contest 6-3 7-6 3-6 7-6 to reach the quarter-finals.

But, for once, Federer's majestic performance was not the talking point among Parisians.

It was the forthcoming showdown between Henin and Williams that had tongues wagging.

Williams was left an emotional wreck after her reign as champion was ended in 2003 by Henin and she went on to accuse the Belgian of "lying and fabricating" following a controversial point in the match.

Despite the passage of time, some things can never be forgotten.

"I wasn't at fault in any way and I guess she was doing everything to win," said Williams.

With their roles now reversed, Williams is intent on loosening Henin's two-year hold on the trophy.

"She's played great tennis. At this point, I don't have anything to lose. I can only propel myself forward and that's how I look at every match, including her," she said.

While Williams was the only American left standing out of the 10 who had entered the women's draw, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic highlighted the changing boundaries in the global tennis map. They were the only Serbs to enter the field and remained on course for a final date.

Before she can look that far ahead, Ivanovic will have to overcome 2006 runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The Russian foiled Shahar Peer's bid to become the first Israeli woman to reach the Paris quarter-finals with a brisk 6-4 6-3 victory.

Fourth seed Jankovic ended French interest with a brutal 6-1 6-1 thrashing of Marion Bartoli and will take on Nicole Vaidisova.

Maria Sharapova survived two match points before overcoming Patty Schnyder 3-6 6-4 9-7 in a gripping fourth-round match.

Schnyder served for the match three times before dropping serve in the last game, bowing out by sending a forehand wide after two hours and 37 minutes of a tight contest that could have gone either way.

Former Wimbledon champion Sharapova, who feels more at ease on faster surfaces and has never gone past the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, will meet fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze for a place in the last four.