Williams Sisters Crash Out

There will be no all-Williams semi-final at the French Open after all, after Serena and Venus both crashed out within half an hour of each other this afternoon.

First to fall was Serena, who lost to Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. It was a tense match, full of great shots, errors and rain delays. But at 4-3 in the final set, Capriati, who won this tournament in 2001, broke to take victory over Williams for the second time in a month.

It didn't take long for Venus to follow suit. The elder Williams sister produced a strangely listless performance and lost 6-3, 6-4 to Russian Anastasia Myskina.

Serena and Capriati's meeting was twice interrupted by rain before the younger Williams sister bowed out after one hour and 40 minutes of play.

Capriati, who has also beaten Williams in the recent WTA Tour event in Rome, clinched victory at the second attempt after being forced to replay a point when leading 40-30 in the ninth game of the deciding set.

A Capriati shot was declared out, which was a decision she disputed, and the umpire then called for the point to be played again. Williams netted in the next rally to put Capriati firmly in sight of the final.

"I am so happy. I feel the peak of my tennis is coming round," she said after the win.

"And as a whole I have probably played better than Serena in the whole tournament."

Sixth seed Myskina faced an out of sorts fourth seeded Venus and closed the match after one hour and 12 minutes to reach her first grand slam semi-final.

Williams finished runner-up at the French Open in 2002, but was sluggish as Myskina found herself 4-1 ahead before taking the first set in 28 minutes.

Both broke in a tense second set before Myskina broke in the seventh game and held out to serve for the match.