Svetlana Kuznetsova squandered a big lead yesterday, but still ended Serena Williams' 18-match Grand Slam winning streak by winning 7-6 (3), 5-7, 7-5 in the French Open quarter-finals.
The second-seeded Williams was seeking her third successive major title and the 11th of her career.
Roger Federer, however, moved one step closer to the only Grand Slam title he has yet to win, beating French-man Gael Monfils 7-6 (6), 6-2, 6-4. It's the 20th consecutive time Federer has reached the semi-finals in a major tournament.
Federer took the partisan crowd out of the match with his most impressive performance of the tournament. He saved a set point in the tie-breaker when Monfils hit a backhand wide, swept the next two points to win the set and pulled away by winning 18 of his final 19 service points.
Federer's path to a record-tying 14th Grand Slam title became easier when four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal was upset Sunday. With Nadal's absence comes higher expectations.
'I gave it to her'
"I felt some pressure before this match," Federer said. "I was very nervous, because I thought it would be very difficult."
Williams was on the verge of reaching the women's final four after mounting a comeback and taking a 3-1 lead in the final set. She blamed nerves for her defeat.
"In the third set I had an opportunity and I got really tight and I pretty much gave it to her," Williams said. "It was like, 'here, do you want to go to the semis? because I don't.' She was like, 'OK'."
The No. 7-seeded Kuznetsova faced a set point serving at 5-6 in the first set but erased it with a slam and won that set. Williams rallied three points from defeat to even the match, then took a 3-1 lead in the third.
"It was very confusing," Kuznetsova said. "Yes, I missed my moments, but she also was playing good."
The seesaw struggle was so close that midway through the third set, each player had won 100 points.
Kuznetsova mounted the final comeback and broke serve in the last game when a weary Williams committed three unforced errors, including a backhand pushed wide on match point.
"Honestly, I think I lost because of me and not because of anything she did," Williams said.
Kuznetsova, the 2004 US Open champion, will face Samantha Stosur of Australia, who reached her first major semi-final by beating Sorana Cirstea of Romania 6-1, 6-3.
Stosur, 25, has never won a tour title.
In the other women's semi-final today, top-ranked Dinara Safina will face No. 20-seeded Dominika Cibulkova. Safina hopes to reach the final for the third time in the past five major events, while Cibulkova is playing in her first Grand Slam semi-final.