Breaking down Thursday's women's semifinal matches at Roland Garros:

Martina Hingis (1) vs. Mary Pierce (6)
Hingis doesn't like matchups against power players like Pierce, especially when they are on their game. Pierce therefore has a chance if she plays very well.

	Martina Hingis advanced to the French Open semifinals for the fourth straight year.

Hingis, however, remains the favorite both in this match and in the tournament, especially now that neither Lindsay Davenport nor Monica Seles stand in her path. Seles would have worried Hingis a little more because two years ago Seles beat Hingis in the French semifinals.

Hingis still enters the semifinal match with a lot of respect for Pierce, and won't let down her guard. Although Hingis is playing someone who has the ability to dictate play and take control out of her hands, Hingis should still have a lot of confidence heading into the match. On some points, there's no doubt Pierce will dominate Hingis, but Hingis will weather the storm and find a way to win.

Seeing how the crowd got behind Pierce in her quarterfinal match against Seles brings up an interesting subplot. Which "villain" will the crowd back the most? You would think they would support Pierce, the only French player remaining. But the Roland Garros crowd has been against her several times before.

People will also start thinking about what happened to Hingis last year when she threw a tantrum during the final and how she has been unable to win at Roland Garros the past three years. If the match gets tight, everyone should pay attention to how Hingis holds up. The French Open is the only tournament where she has had a lot of demons.

Conchita Martinez (5) vs. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (8)
It's wild at this day and age that two veterans like Martinez and Sanchez-Vicario would be playing each other in the semifinals.

Given Sanchez-Vicario's three French Open titles, she should be given a slight edge. But Martinez is having her best year since 1994 when she won Wimbledon. Martinez's performance at the German Open, where she beat Hingis for the title, proves she is definitely capable of beating Sanchez-Vicario and advancing to the final.

Sanchez-Vicario had a much tougher quarterfinal match, beating Venus Williams in three sets while Martinez won in straight sets over unseeded Marta Marrero. But it won't matter because both Sanchez-Vicario and Martinez have been around too long to let previous matches affect them.

Finally ...
Overall, I predict Hingis to meet Sanchez-Vicario in the final, a match that Hingis would absolutely love. Hingis has a near-perfect record against the Sanchez-Vicario and just lost to Martinez three or four weeks ago. I still think it's Martina's tournament to lose.