Henin-Hardenne is into her second Grand Slam final More semi-final photos

The fourth seed won 6-2 4-6 7-5 to set up the first-ever all-Belgian final of a Grand Slam against Kim Clijsters, who earlier beat Nadia Petrova.

It is the second time Henin-Hardenne has reached a Grand Slam final, following her defeat to Venus Williams at Wimbledon two years ago.

"The level of the match was very, very high, though I briefly panicked at the idea of winning," said Henin-Hardenne.

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"But I believed in myself and took it point by point as I kept my focus. Serena can be very intimidating - it was tough to serve out.

"At 4-2 down in the third I had some doubts but it's so good to be into my first final here.

"I am very happy, it's an emotional moment - I'll have to get my energy back for Saturday."

Williams came into the match as the holder of all four major titles but looked edgy and out of touch in the early stages, and by the end was being jeered by the Roland Garros crowd.

It was a wonderful atmosphere Justine Henin-Hardenne

Henin-Hardenne made the perfect start, capturing a break of serve in the opening game with a trademark backhand winner.

The diminutive Belgian claimed two more breaks as she surged 5-2 ahead with the kind of aggressive hitting usually associated with her opponent.

And when nerves looked to be a factor as she saw two set points slip away, Henin-Hardenne came up with a forehand winner and an ace to take the first set.

Gamewatch: Williams v Henin-Hardenne

Williams slowly got her game together as the second set wore on and broke in the eighth and 10th games to level the match.

The final set was a titanic affair that saw the crowd turn on Williams following several disputed line calls.

It clearly affected the American and after seven breaks of serve, and having dropped her serve to love when 5-4 ahead, Henin-Hardenne finally closed out the match in the 12th game.

And the Belgian admitted that the support of the crowd had played its part in her victory.

"It was a wonderful atmosphere," she said. "There were so many Belgians here and the French fans were behind me too."