Henin-Hardenne, playing her first tournament in seven months, staged a gallant comeback  but lost to Sharapova.

“She has been a top player,” Sharapova said. “I was expecting a really tough match. It came out to be really tough.”

Sharapova, seeded second, failed to convert three match points in the second set but finally closed out the victory an hour later with a backhand winner accompanied by her trademark shriek.

The Wimbledon champion, who said she has been winning lately despite a sore back, will play a Williams sister in the semifinals Thursday. Serena and Venus, both three-time champions at Key Biscayne, were scheduled for their first meeting since July 2003 on Tuesday night.

Henin-Hardenne, coming back from a virus and knee injury, was pleased to win three matches and give Sharapova a battle.

“It’s pretty amazing,” the three-time Grand Slam champion said. “I couldn’t imagine before coming to Miami that I would play at this level. I did a good job, so it’s good for my confidence.”

Against Sharapova, Henin-Hardenne dug in after a poor start. She shanked several shots early, and even her picturesque backhand malfunctioned on a mis-hit that sailed 10 feet long on break point. She blew an overhead and lost that game, too, and hit a drop shot that didn’t even reach the net.

Sharapova, meanwhile, repeatedly placed shots inches inside the lines to keep Henin-Hardenne on the defensive.

“She was playing unbelievable tennis,” Henin-Hardenne said. “She’s tall and she’s powerful. She’s a great player.”

But with Sharapova on the verge of victory at 5-4, 40-love in the second set, Henin-Hardenne saved three match points. Sharapova then double-faulted to lose the game.

With Henin-Hardenne hitting her groundstrokes more aggressively, Sharapova saved three set points to hold for 6-6, then saved three more in the tiebreaker before dumping a backhand in the net on the final point of the set.

“You just keep fighting and keep being positive,” Sharapova said. “Easy to say, hard to do.”

She quickly regrouped in the final set, taking a 3-0 lead against a tiring Henin-Hardenne and improved to 5-0 in quarterfinals this year. She has rebounded from a 6-0, 6-0 loss to Lindsay Davenport at Indian Wells earlier this month.

MORE FROM TENNIS

Tennis Section Front

Focus on the man Agassi has become Safin says Agassi should give titles, money back   Live vote: Should Agassi return his titles and money? Safin ends career after 2nd-round loss in Paris Djokovic beats Monaco to make 3rd round in Paris Gasquet gives cocaine-kiss evidence to CAS hearing   Video: Djokovic or del Potro will win ATP finale   Video: Nadal honored by French officials Interactive: Creating the perfect tennis player ATP, WTA scores, schedules Tennis Section Front   Add Tennis headlines to your news reader: