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PARIS - There was high drama in most of the roller coaster ride Serena Williams and Justine Henin-Hardenne took Thursday afternoon, but the final act of this stunning, fan-unfriendly French Open upset had all the elegance of a couple of Clydesdales slogging toward the finish line of a 10-furlong race.

It ended, wouldn't you know it, on Williams' 75th unforced error, a wild backhand return off a second serve that everyone in the house knew was going to be out from the moment it flashed off her racket.

The 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 loss marked a sloppy and tearful end to Williams' run of four consecutive Grand Slam titles and 33 consecutive Grand Slam wins. It also sent Henin-Hardenne into an historic all-Belgian final Saturday against good friend Kim Clijsters, who defeated unseeded Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-1.

"It's good that you have a different final. It's good to see different players. It's good for women's tennis," said Henin-Hardenne, who lost to Venus Williams in the 2001 Wimbledon final. "Maybe it's time to give someone else a chance."

As surprising as this victory was for Henin-Hardenne, there was more to come an hour later, when the women met with reporters. Much more.

Serena uncharacteristically was fighting back tears and answering questions through a cracking voice.

Williams had been booed for challenging a couple of balls that were ruled good in the crucial sixth and seventh games of the final set and which, in fact, were both affirmed as out by chair umpire Jorge Dias, who came down from his perch to inspect the evidence in the clay.

That didn't assuage the hundreds of Belgian fans in the upper deck, who applauded jeeringly when Williams made a mistake.

It was not just the booing that irritated Williams. She also took a swipe at Henin-Hardenne.

Directly after the second controversial overrule, at 30-15 with Williams leading 4-3, Henin-Hardenne held up her hand as Serena began to serve, indicating she wasn't ready.

Williams followed through anyway, netting the serve, and then appealed to Dias for two serves, to which she was entitled. But Dias said he didn't see Henin-Hardenne raise her hand, and - as if to influence his decision to force a second serve - Henin-Hardenne stepped inside the baseline, her usual position for a second serve.

"I was a little disappointed with her (Justine) because, you know ... it wasn't the turning point of the match, obviously. I probably still should have won the game. It definitely didn't turn around the match. But I think to start lying and fabricating, it's not fair. I understand that people want to win these days, but ... I don't know," she concluded.

The last set of this match was waiting for someone to seize it by the throat, and both players had their opportunities. Neither, however, seemed ready to step up until the final game.

Leading 6-5, Henin-Hardenne closed it out at love.

In the end, it was startling to see Williams react so strongly to the crowd's behavior. Two days earlier she told reporters about the importance of placing oneself in a bubble to shut out the fans.

Thursday, in one of the most important matches of the season, Serena Williams' bubble burst.