PARIS -- If all goes according to the Williams family plan, this French Open will be the one where at least one sister makes it past the quarterfinals.

	Serena Williams has been the stronger Williams sister on clay.

Their cluttered trophy case contains five Grand Slam singles pizes -- four of which belong to Venus, and none of which came at Roland Garros.

That could be about to change.

Both No. 2 Venus and No. 3 Serena Williams will play for semifinal berths Tuesday. Venus faces No. 6 Monica Seles, and Serena goes up against 2000 champion Mary Pierce.

The other quarterfinal matchups are defending champion Jennifer Capriati vs. No. 7 Jelena Dokic, and Paola Suarez vs. fellow Argentine Clarisa Fernandez.

With Team Williams, Seles and Capriati, it's the first time since 1986 that four American women are in the French Open quarters.

And two Argentine women never had been in the final eight at the same time.

Serena Williams, emerging as the stronger sister on clay this spring, said she's never felt better.

"I definitely have more drive than anything, than ever before,'' she said after beating 17-year-old Russian qualifier Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round. Serena lost the first set 4-6, then won 12 of the last 13 games.

"When I'm down, if anything, I hit harder,'' said Serena, the 1999 U.S. Open champion. "I always fight. I'm always fighting and hustling.''

Venus has had a relatively easy run so far, winning her first four matches in straight sets and dropping a total of 17 games. She beat Chanda Rubin in the fourth round.

The two-time Wimbledon and the U.S. Open champion said this week that she's riding on the wave of her best season ever. Of the eight tournaments Venus has played this year, she's won four and made it to at least the semifinals in three others.

"I'd like to keep it rolling until the end of this tournament,'' she said.

Seles, who's reached at least the quarters in all 10 of her Roland Garros appearances and won the title from 1990-92, beat Venus in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Seles had been 0-6 against the elder Williams.

Suarez and Fernandez are friends and training partners back home, and their faceoff guarantees that Argentina will have its first French Open women's semifinalist since Gabriela Sabatini in 1992.

Suarez eliminated 10th-seeded Amelie Mauresmo of France 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 Sunday, while Fernandez followed her upset of 2001 runner-up Kim Clijsters of Belgium by knocking off No. 13 Elena Dementieva of Russia 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"This is going to be something beautiful for Argentina, to reach the quarterfinals,'' Suarez said. "Two Argentines at Roland Garros is very incredible.''