Bryan Brothers Are Eliminated by French Duo

Americans keep tumbling out of the French Open.

Defending doubles champions Bob and Mike Bryan on Thursday became the latest to fall. The top-seeded twins from Camarillo encountered their personal nemeses at Grand Slams, Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra, and lost, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, in the semifinals.

Llodra and Santoro, seeded No. 6, fought back from an early break down in the third set. The decisive break came in the eighth game, and Llodra served it out at 15.

The French team also defeated the Bryans in the Australian Open final, 7-6 (4), 6-3, after which they surprised the crowd in Melbourne by stripping down to their underwear. Here, they will play Belgians Xavier Malisse and Olivier Rochus in the final, and there’s no telling what they’ll do if they win the French Open.

So it’s down to one lone doubles team for the Americans -- none other than 47-year-old Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond, who will play Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva today in a women’s doubles semifinal.

Center stage today in the men’s semifinals belongs to three Argentines and one Brit. No. 8 David Nalbandian plays Gaston Gaudio, followed by No. 3 Guillermo Coria against No. 9 Tim Henman of Great Britain.

Henman is the first British man to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros since Mike Sangster lost to Roy Emerson in 1963.

Nalbandian and Gaudio have never played each other on the tour, and Coria has won two of three matches against Henman. They are 1-1 on clay, Henman having defeated Coria in three sets in 2002 at Monte Carlo. Coria, who has not dropped a set in five matches, is 47-2 in his last 49 clay-court matches.

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AT A GLANCE

Today’s men’s semifinals

* No. 3 Guillermo Coria vs. No. 9 Tim Henman

* No. 8 David Nalbandian vs. Gaston Gaudio

Saturday’s women’s final

* No. 6 Anastasia Myskina vs. No. 9 Elena Dementieva

Head to head: Tied, 3-3

1999: Palermo, clay, Myskina, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

2000: Zurich, hard court, Myskina, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

2001: Moscow, carpet, Dementieva, 6-7 (7), 6-1, 7-5.

2002: Australian Open, hard court, Dementieva, 6-4, 6-2.

2003: Sarasota, clay, Myskina, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

2003: Canadian Open, hard court, Dementieva, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1.