Hingis, who already has five Grand Slam titles already under her belt but who has never managed to triumph on the slow red clay at Roland Garros, began imperiously, taking the first five games and ultimately winning 6-3, 6-2. The 18-year-old Swiss, playing in her third straight semi-final here, had not dropped a set on her way to the last four and, aside from a loss of concentration mid way through the first set, she proved far too hot to handle for her seventh-seeded Spanish opponent.

It was Hingis' 10th win in 11 matches against the 27-year-old Sanchez-Vicario. "I played very focused from the beginning," said a beaming Hingis. "I felt very good but I had to take her seriously because she's the three-time champion.

"I played very intelligent tennis - sometimes my drop shots didn't work, but I played a smart match which you have to do against Arantxa. I'm playing better and better each match."

Hingis began like a whirlwind, moving into a 5-0 lead within just 15 minutes of what was for the most part an embarrassingly one-sided contest.

Sanchez-Vicario began by having a break point in the opening game but then struggled to get any more points on the board until she held for 1-5 and then closed the gap to 3-5.

Hingis, however, overcame her lapse of concentration to close out the set in just half an hour. The one-way traffic continued in the second set as Hingis, who went into the match having won 18 of her last 19 matches, broke for 1-0 and raced to a 4-0 lead, breaking up the Spaniard's rhythm by mixing up drop shots and short balls when the Spaniard would have preferred to have traded from the baseline.