1 of 9
The fans wait patiently before play finally gets under way two-and-a-half hours after the scheduled start

2 of 9
Defending champion Serena Williams starts powerfully, breaking serve twice to take a 4-0 lead in the opening set

3 of 9
Justine Henin-Hardenne, the number three seed, hits back with two breaks of her own to get herself back into the match

4 of 9
Williams breaks for a third time in the eighth game, however, and easily holds her own serve to take the first set 6-3

5 of 9
Henin-Hardenne continues to struggle with her serve in the second set and is broken in the opening game

6 of 9
Williams' advantage comes as she makes fewer unforced errors and manages to find the corners with clean winners

7 of 9
A dismayed-looking Henin-Hardenne contemplates defeat as she fails to find any answer to Williams' phenomenonal power

8 of 9
Williams produces her best tennis in the second set and breaks again to go one game away from victory

9 of 9
The number one seed serves out for the match to secure a place in the ladies' final for the second successive year