FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. -- Justine Henin dispatched Venus Williams on Friday the same way she did the American's sister, Serena, to reach the women's final at the U.S. Open.

Henin recorded a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Williams. She will face Svetlana Kuznetsova in Saturday's final.

The top-seeded Henin was a dismal 1-7 lifetime against the 12th-seeded Williams entering Friday's match. Williams had won their past seven matchups, dating back to 2001, a year in which the American topped the Belgian in the Wimbledon finale.

Henin handled Williams' younger sister Serena in straight sets in a quarterfinal meeting Tuesday night. It marked the third straight Grand Slam quarterfinal victory for Henin against Serena in the past few months.

The 25-year-old Henin owns six major titles, including her third straight and fourth overall French Open championship earlier this season. The diminutive Belgian was last year's U.S. Open runner-up to Russian superstar Maria Sharapova and won the tournament in 2003.

Kuznetsova will appear in her second U.S. Open final in four years after beating fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze on Friday.

The fourth-seeded Kuznetsova overcame the sixth-seeded Chakvetadze 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 on another sunny day at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Kuznetsova advanced in 1 hour, 36 minutes after playing a shaky first set. Chakvetadze was unable to sustain any momentum after taking the first stanza, and she ended up losing 12 of the final 13 games to bow out in a sloppy affair.

Chakvetadze struggled mightily and finished with 46 unforced errors and four double faults. Kuznetsova misfired for 35 unforced errors.

Kuznetsova is now 3-0 lifetime against the 20-year-old Chakvetadze, who was appearing in her first major semifinal.

The St. Petersburg native Kuznetsova captured the 2004 U.S. Open by beating Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian final. She was last year's French Open runner-up to Justine Henin.

Kuznetsova will appear in her 21st career final (9-11), which includes a victory in New Haven the week before this Open fortnight commenced. She's 1-4 in her 2007 finals and currently riding a 10-match overall winning streak.