The third-seeded Belgian routed Russia's Nadia Petrova, 6-0, 6-2, in 55 minutes Friday and advanced to the semifinals of the 1 million-dollar Acura Classic tennis tournament.

"I was a little surprised because of the short match and the score was very easy," said Henin-Hardenne, who has reached the semifinals in 11 of 12 tournaments this year. "I'm just happy to be in the semis."

Henin-Hardenne was joined by second-seeded compatriot Kim Clijsters, who breezed past American Lisa Raymond 6-2, 6-2 to set up a clash with fourth seed Lindsay Davenport.

Davenport powered past fellow American Chanda Rubin 6-3, 6-3.

Ranked third in the world, Henin-Hardenne is regarded as the premier claycourt on the WTA Tour, particularly after capturing the French Open for her first career Grand Slam title.

However, she is beginning to make an impact on the hard-court circuit, improving to 19-3 this season.

"I think I have a good game to play on hard court, but sometimes I am a little bit afraid of the power of the players because it's getting very fast and they are hitting the ball very hard," Henin-Hardenne said. "But I have a lot of confidence right now.

I need to work my defense, but the best way to play good defense is to be aggressive. Now I can be powerful when I want."

Henin-Hardenne won the previous two matches against Petrova, but those were on clay and grass. The results were the same on the hard surface. She took control from the start and applied pressure throughout.

"She thought she has many chances, but I really have improved my game on hard court and I'm feeling good," Henin-Hardenne said after recording 16 winners to five for Petrova. She also had 24 unforced errors, 11 fewer than the Russian.

Petrova chalked it up as a bad day.

"I just didn't seem like it was my day," she said. "I knew how to play her, I just rushed."

After dispatching Elena Dementieva and Petrova, Henin-Hardenne will face another Russian, teenager Svetlana Kuznetsova, who eliminated compatriot Elena Likhotseva 6-2, 6-3.

Davenport fell behind early but took control with an array of blazing groundstrokes and an effective serve, raising her career mark against Rubin to 9-3.