New York ? Terrific at the start and finish, Maria Sharapova shrieked her way past No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo to end a Grand Slam semifinal jinx.

The third-seeded Sharapova beat Mauresmo, 6-0, 4-6, 6-0, on Friday to set up a U.S. Open final against No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne, who took the last 10 games against a collapsing Jelena Jankovic for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory.

“I came back from nowhere today,” Henin-Hardenne said. “I feel lucky to be in the final.”

So must Sharapova. After all, since winning Wimbledon in 2004, she had gone 0-5 in major semifinals, and she entered Friday 0-3 against Mauresmo. But punctuating nearly every powerful stroke with high-pitched shouts – her “Aaah! or “Whoo!” so loud at times that spectators snickered – Sharapova dictated the pace from the baseline. Now she’ll try to overcome a 1-4 head-to-head mark against Henin-Hardenne.

“I had a terrible record against Amelie, and that ended today,” Sharapova said. “I have a terrible record against Justine, so I hope that’s a good-luck charm at the Open.”

There was a dip for the Florida-based Russian in the middle set against Mauresmo, but otherwise she put together a rare double shutout: It was the first time in the Open era, which began in 1968, that a female semifinalist here lost two sets at love.

And Mauresmo was no average semifinalist: She won the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. But the same signs of nerves that had plagued her earlier in her career resurfaced Friday. The Frenchwoman finished with 38 unforced errors and only 10 winners, half as many as Sharapova.

So while Mauresmo’s bid to reach a third major final this year ended, French Open champion Henin-Hardenne – the runner-up at Melbourne Park and the All England Club – became the first woman since 1997 to reach all four Slam finals in a single season.

Not without a scare, though.

Serving terribly, and her groundstrokes missing some oomph because of an aching back, Henin-Hardenne dug a big hole, falling behind by a set and a break. Jankovic was a point from taking a 5-2 lead in the second set.