Reporting from Paris — Serena Williams' meandering French Open ended today in a manner that doesn't tend to happen to Serena Williams.
In a quarterfinal that whipsawed back and forth, required almost three hours and produced a bevy of highest-caliber shots, Williams found herself leading Svetlana Kuznetsova by 3-1 in the third set, already having beaten Kuznetsova 6-1 in a third set in the Australian Open.
But Kuznetsova, battling both Williams and demons, banished her doubts and clambered back shot by shot to win 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5, and advance to a semifinal opposite surprise final-four contender Samantha Stosur of Australia.
"A tough one," said Williams' mother and co-coach Oracene Price as she walked down a hallway toward the locker room. "A tough one."
As that rare woman who can wring excellence right up out of bleakness, Williams, ranked No. 2 in the world and seeded No. 2 in Paris, nearly outdid herself this tournament. She arrived having won zero clay-court matches in 2009, then weathered three-set matches in the first and third rounds while showing dominance in the second and fourth.
Against Kuznetsova, who is ranked and seeded seventh, she trailed 3-0 but recovered. Williams faced a 4-5 deficit with Kuznetsova serving, but broke her at 15 and recovered. She trailed 3-0 and 4-2 and then 5-3 in the second set, with Kuznetsova serving for the match just as in Australia, but recovered. She ran up against two match points while serving at 4-5 in the third set but recovered.
Repeatedly, she lurked close to reaching her first French Open semifinal since 2003, which would have made her an overwhelming favorite to reach her first final since she won the tournament in 2002.
Finally, though, looking fatigued, she whacked three straight service returns into the net in Kuznetsova's final service game, then couldn't match Kuznetsova's sharp play in Williams' own service game at 5-6. She lost that at 15 when a searing Kuznetsova forehand sent Williams into the corner for a backhand that quickly angled wide, Williams looked spent and strode to congratulate her friend.
Williams, the No. 2 seed here, lost for only the second time in her last 26 grand-slam matches beginning with Wimbledon 2008. She often battled herself, but often battled herself very well. She and Kuznetsova, playing on Court Suzanne Lenglen, the second show court, also dealt with the distractions of occasional booming noise from the main Court Philippe Chatrier, where Roger Federer and the Frenchman Gael Monfils had begun their quarterfinal.
