Serena dumps home favourite Mauresmo

Serena Williams trounced Amelie Mauresmo and silenced an expectant French crowd today, romping into the Roland Garros semi-finals…

Serena Williams trounced Amelie Mauresmo and silenced an expectant French crowd today, romping into the Roland Garros semi-finals 6-1 6-2.

The top woman's seed and defending champion savaged the world number five from the start, never giving Mauresmo a chance to settle on centre court.

The 64-minute demolition was Serena's performance of the tournament and one which will cause semi-final opponent Justine Henin-Hardenne to sleep uneasily.

The other semi-final will pit second seed Kim Clijsters against Russia's Nadia Petrova.

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The Belgian second seed crunched Spanish 24th seed Conchita Martinez 6-2, 6-1 in 68min earlier today.

"I was playing on her best surface and I had to have a lot of patience out there today," said the 19-year-old Clijsters, who turns 20 on Sunday, the day after the women's final.

"Winning is a great feeling," she added, delighted to see several Belgian flags draped around the Suzanne Lenglen Court.

"I think it's a great opportunity for the Belgian people to come here and support us. It's almost a Belgian Grand Slam!" the bubbly Clijsters grinned.

Two men's quarter-finals were also on the agenda, with 1999 champion Andre Agassi meeting Argentine seventh seed Guillermo Coria on Centre Court while Spanish fourth seed Carlos Moya, winner here in 1998, was taking on Dutch new face Martin Verkerk on the Suzanne Lenglen Court.

The winners of those two matches will face off in the men's semi-finals on Friday.

Should Agassi, who against Coria was playing his 999th career match, reach the final he would regain the world number one ranking from Australia's Lleyton Hewitt.