Paris ? Befuddled all match, Serena Williams reacted to one flubbed backhand by spiking her racket to the court, drawing full-throated boos from spectators.

It was as spirited as Williams – or the crowd – got during her lopsided French Open quarterfinal loss to No. 1 Justine Henin, the one moment Tuesday when the last U.S. singles player in the tournament truly appeared to want to turn things around.

Too many mistakes and too little fight followed from Williams, though, and Henin beat her 6-4, 6-3 to close in on a third straight title at Roland Garros.

This meeting bore no resemblance to their infamous 2003 French Open semifinal, a three-set tussle that featured far more drama, acrimony and, well, competitive tennis.

A set was lost by – gasp! – Roger Federer against No. 9 Tommy Robredo of Spain. But Federer quickly righted himself to win, 7-5, 1-6, 6-1, 6-2, and reach the semifinals at a record 12th major tournament in a row.