HEART OF THE MATTER: About 200 ball boys and girls form a heart at Roland Garros Centre Court in a show of support for France’s 2012 Olympic Games bid before the start of the quarter final matches on Tuesday

Paris: France took Mary Pierce to its heart on Tuesday when the 30-year-old crushed world No. 1 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 No. 1 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 4-6, 2-6 by Justine Henin-Hardenne, ending the Russian’s hopes of taking the world No. 1 spot.

Pierce, champion here 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 No. 1 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 (after Andre Agassi) to have reached the last-four stage 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.”

The elegant Swiss after winning the first set easily, underlined his determination by fighting back from a break down in the second to force a tie-break, which he took 7-3 with a service winner on set-point.

World No. 90 Hanescu, 23 like Federer, mounted a brave challenge in that second set but then collapsed, Federer building a 5-1 lead in the third set to serve for the match.

Federer showed signs of nerves for the first time, wasting two match-points and losing his serve after committing three double-faults.

When he served for the match again, Hanescu survived another match-point before bowing out by hitting a forehand long after just over two hours of play.

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 shots 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 Kuznetsova in the fourth round, faces her third consecutive Russian ? Nadia Petrova ? for a place in Saturday’s final. Petrova stopped the surprise run of 17-year-old Serbian Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-2.

“The important thing is not to think the hard work has been done,” Henin-Hardenne said. The 10th seed had won all three of her claycourt warm-up tournaments. 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 $135,600 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. “She made great drop-shots at very important points and that just comes with confidence, having played a lot of matches.

“She’s on a big winning streak. I think that is giving her more and more confidence.”

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

“I don’t have any pressure at all,” she said. “I’m gonna have so many great memories again... to be back on grass and playing where I feel really, really comfortable.”

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 on Tuesday.

Likhovtseva made heavy weather of Karatantcheva before booking her first Grand Slam semi-final place in 46 attempts. “I was nervous... 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.

Mahesh-Lisa out

Mahesh Bhupathi’s campaign ended on Tuesday following a disappointing loss in the mixed doubles. He and American partner Lisa Raymond lost 4-6, 2-6 to Jonas Bjorkman (Sweden) and Anastasia Myskina (Russia).

Bhupathi and Todd Woodbridge had earlier tumbled out of the men’s doubles in the first round itself.