Paris ? Roger Federer is the top player, Rafael Nadal the hottest, and their straight-sets victories on a cool, overcast afternoon at the French Open on Tuesday set up a semifinal collision that they, and virtually everyone else, knew was coming.

The only shame is that the duel between the Swiss and the Spaniard, the best players on the ATP Tour this year with 11 titles between them, is not for the championship.

Federer’s 6-2, 7-6 (3), 6-3 quarterfinal victory against Romania’s Victor Hanescu was as pedestrian as Nadal’s 7-5, 6-2, 6-0 romp over Spanish compatriot David Ferrer.

Nor were there many thrills in the women’s quarters as 2000 champion Mary Pierce easily knocked out top-seeded Lindsay Davenport, 6-3, 6-2, again keeping the American from winning the only major to elude her, and 2003 champ Justine Henin-Hardenne stopped Maria Sharapova, 6-4, 6-2.

A tournament that so far has been devoid of grand theater should have its fill Friday when Federer continues his quest for a career Grand Slam and Nadal celebrates his 19th birthday on center court in his first major semifinal.

Always bouncing on his toes or running with boundless energy, Nadal has won 22 straight matches, all on clay, and is seeking his sixth title of the year in his first French Open. No less an authority than John McEnroe sees Nadal as the greatest new talent since Boris Becker burst on the scene to win Wimbledon at 17 in 1985.

“To play the semifinal against the No. 1 is unbelievable for me, no?” said Nadal, who has become a crowd favorite here and everywhere else he’s played.

More than just a baseline basher, Nadal has shown creativity with drops, lobs and reflex volleys. His last loss came when Federer rallied from two sets down to beat him in the final on a hardcourt two months ago in Key Biscayne, Fla.

“I think I’ve learned very much how to play him,” Federer said. “In the beginning I didn’t really play very well at all, and he took advantage of that, totally. So I had to fight my way back. I came through, and in the end I felt the fitter player. He looked extremely tired in the fifth, and that kind of surprised me.

“Now we’re on clay. Rallies can be even tougher. But I thought (Key Biscayne) was a tough match. I think we can expect the same – not that we’re going to play five sets again, but tough rallies and hard hitting.”