Tue Apr 1 14:51:39 2008

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Serena routs Henin to reach Miami semis

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Miami, FL (Sports Network) - In Tuesday's marquee quarterfinal showdown, reigning champion Serena Williams whipped Justine Henin in a rematch of last year's finale at the $3.77 million Sony Ericsson Open.

The eighth-seeded Serena drilled the top-seeded/world No. 1 Henin 6-2, 6-0 in 1 hour, 20 minutes at Crandon Park. Serena also topped Henin in straight sets in last year's title tilt here.

Serena broke Henin's serve six times in seven chances on Day 7, while the Belgian could manage only one break of the powerful American en route to the decisive setback.

The eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena is now 7-6 lifetime against her arch-rival Henin, who had won their previous three encounters, all in Grand Slam quarterfinals last season.

The seven-time major titlist Henin is the reigning French and U.S. Open champ.

The former No. 1 Serena is seeking her fifth title here in seven years, having also captured this event from 2002-04.

Serena's semifinal opponent will be third-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova or her big sister Venus, this year's sixth seed. Kuznetsova titled here two years ago, while the reigning Wimbledon champion Venus is a three-time Miami champ (1998-99, 2001). The Williams sisters have combined for seven championships at this prestigious hardcourt tournament.

Kuznetsova and Venus will square off here on Tuesday night, while the other quarterfinals will be staged on Wednesday, when fourth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic takes on 10th-seeded two-time Grand Slam runner-up Elena Dementieva of Russia and 13th-seeded Dinara Safina battles her 19th-seeded fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva.

The 2008 Miami champion will collect $590,000.