All is not right in the world of Serena Williams. Her 6-2 3-6 8-6 defeat by Martina Hingis in the quarter-finals did not help. Defeats like this are never easy to take, Serena having led 4-1 in the final set and served for the match at 5-4.
Yet Williams seemed strangely at ease afterwards, as though she had been bored with the whole thing and has better things to do with her time than win tedious titles.
Such studied indifference is a Williams sister's speciality, as if it is part of their father Richard's coaching programme, and Serena is becoming expert at the post-defeat interview.
This time she had an array of surly looks and one-word answers. First was the obligatory sick note, this time claiming a mysterious strain of food poisoning which miraculously disappeared in time for her to play doubles. Then Williams held a notebook in one hand and a mobile phone in the other with which she fiddled constantly.
Perhaps Williams was looking for inspiration; 16 months ago she had the world at her feet having won the US Open title. She and her father were making all sorts of predictions about world domination and gaining a cupboard full of grand slam trophies. Now, the trophies are there - but most have her sister Venus's name on.
Williams' self-belief seems to be such that, encouraged by her father, she feels she does not need to play all year. This would be fine were it not for the fact that her rivals, Hingis and Lindsay Davenport, do not appear to be in on the deal.
Venus won a similarly dramatic match 2-6 6-1 8-6 against the South African 10theed Amanda Coetzer. Hingis, now confronted by the elder sister, said: "If I win the title, I'll definitely have earned it." Meanwhile, in the men's competition, it was an extraordinary day for the French, who are guaranteed a player in the final after quarter-final victories for Clement and his friend and doubles partner Sebastien Grosjean. Both will be playing their first grand-slam semi-final tomorrow and both will doubtless find the occasion all the more difficult because they normally practise together.
Grosjean, who had a comfortable 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory over Spain's Carlos Moya, the beaten finalist here in 1997, watched from the stands as Clement edged home after a nerve-racking match against Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov who lost the final here against Andre Agassi last year and who won the title in 1999.
Kafelnikov should have taken the match into a fifth set after holding a 5-3 lead in the fourth. But Clement, who in the fourth round defeated Britain's Greg Rusedski, was indomitable, winning 6-4 57 7-6 7-6.
Grosjean's tennis against Moya was exceptional. His blistering forehand has always been his chief weapon but against the Spaniard he frequently opened up the court on his other wing and Moya , who had beaten the local favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the third round, simply could not cope.
Men's Singles - Quarter finals: (16) S Grosjean (Fra) bt C Moya (Spa) 6-1 6-4 6-2, (15) A Clement (Fra) bt (5) Y Kafelnikov (Rus) 6-4 5-7 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3).
Men's Doubles - Quarter-finals: (11) W Arthurs (Aus) and N Zimonjic (Aus) bt (1) D Nestor (Can) and S Stolle (Aus) 46 7-6 (7-5) 6-4, (4) J Bjorkman (Swe) and T Woodbridge (Aus) bt (10) J Eagle (Aus) and A Florent (Aus) 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
Women's Singles - Quarter-finals: (3) V Williams (USA) bt (10) A Coetzer (Rsa) 2-6 6-1 8-6, (1) M Hingis (Swi) bt (6) S Williams (USA) 6-2 3-6 8-6.
Women's Doubles - Quarter-finals: (7) L Davenport (USA) and C Morariu (USA) bt (4) V Ruano-Pascual (Spa) and P Suarez (Arg) 6-3 6-2, S Williams (USA) and V Williams (USA) bt (3) A Kournikova (Rus) and B Schett (Aut) 3-6 6-1 6-1.
Mixed Doubles - Second round: R Koenig (Rsa) and M Shaughnessy (USA) bt D Adams (Rsa) and A Coetzer (Rsa) 6-3 6-4. Quarter-finals: (4) J Eagle (Aus) and B Schett (Aut) bt M Knowles (Bah) and N Arendt (USA) 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5), (3) E Ferreira (Rsa) and C Morariu (USA) bt N Zimonjic (Yug) and J Dokic (Yug) w/o, (1) T Woodbridge (Aus) and R Stubbs (Aus) bt P Tramacchi (Aus) and R McQuillan (Aus) 6-4 6-2.
Serena Williams feels the strain during her quarter- final defeat yesterday.
