This might have been Lindsay Davenport’s last match at the U.S. Open, and it wasn’t one to remember.

The 30-year-old American played a stiff quarterfinal yesterday, booming a few forehands here and there but otherwise making a few too many mistakes, and missing too many lines, to defeat the quick and confident Justine Henin-Hardenne. Though the no. 2 seeded Belgian did not play her level best in a 6-4, 6-4 victory, most days a good effort from her is more than an enough.

Davenport quickly packed her bag and walked off the court as the crowd, sleepy through much of the match, offered Henin-Hardenne polite applause. But she was upbeat afterward, saying that she had played better than she had thought she would when the tournament began. The last time she met Henin-Hardenne, in the final at the Pilot Pen a few days before the U.S. Open, Davenport had to retire with an arm injury. She’s only played 21 matches this season and plans to travel to Bali next week and Beijing after that, and then decide whether she wants tack on a final swing through Europe before the season ends.

As for playing next season, Davenport would not say for sure.

“Most days, still I feel like, okay, I want to commit my day to being that good tennis player,” she said. “Other days, it feels like a drag. While I still have more good days than bad days, I’m gonna keep playing.”

One can’t blame Davenport for disclosing as little as possible about her plans. She seems genuinely uncertain about what she’ll do, and even if she were, she’s not the sort to seek attention or sympathy.Yet when one hears a player, at the advanced age of 30, describe training as a drag, there’s only one conclusion to draw: the end is near.

The last two seasons have presented wonderful opportunities for Davenport. The skills of the Williams sisters have declined, and the tour’s other top players have struggled with injuries month after month. In the last three years, Davenport should have won two or three major titles — she even had a match point in one. It was not to be, and for no other reason than bad luck.

“I’m happy with the last few years of my career, no matter what it is,” Davenport said. “I feel like I’ve made the most of everything, of the talent I was given.”

It’s hard to imagine that she’ll have a chance to do anything more, at least at the majors. The last woman to win a Grand Slam title over the age of 30 was Martina Navratilova, who won Wimbledon in 1990 at the age of 33. Steffi Graf came close, winning the French Open at 29. Jan Novotna was also 29, when she won her only major, at Wimbledon in 1998. As good as Davenport has been over the years, she’s much closer to Novotna than Navratilova or Graf, the two most dominant women the game has ever known. For her, winning another major would take the sort of luck associated with a slot machine, if not a lottery ticket.

Even if Davenport can find her best form, and her best health, next year, there’s likely to be little room at the top. Henin-Hardenne, if healthy, does everything Davenport can do and more, and she moves as well as anyone on the tour. Other youngsters like Jelena Jankovic, Nicole Vaidisova, and Ana Ivanovic ought to improve next year and challenge for majors (Jankovic will meet Henin-Hardenne in the semifinals on Friday).

And of course, there’s Amelie Mauresmo, the world no. 1. She had a shaky start against Dinara Safina yesterday, trading breaks of serve before winning 6–2, 6–3. She’ll play Sharapova in a rematch of the Wimbledon semifinal that Mauresmo won in three sets on her way to the title.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have received lots of attention this year, but Henin-Hardenne and Mauresmo have fashioned a compelling narrative of their own. At the Australian Open, Henin-Hardenne retired in the final with an upset stomach. She won the French Open, and reached the final of Wimbledon, too, where Mauresmo at last came to know the feeling of winning a match point at a Grand Slam. If they reach the final here, Henin-Hardenne will have appeared in the final at all four majors, and Mauresmo at three. And she, like Federer, might win three.

The 27-year-old Frenchwoman still plays patchy tennis at times, and still seems to suffer from the yips every now and then. On the whole, however, she’s playing better than anyone in the world, and with an elegance that’s not remarked upon often enough. Mauresmo can play like a pusher and block back serves, loft topspin forehands deep into corners, and race around the court. She can lob and slice a backhand. But she can also serve 115 mph and volley better than any woman (and frankly, almost all of the men).

If Mauresmo wins this tournament, she’ll have gone from an also-ran to a Hall of Fame player in one season. Henin-Hardenne has the best chance to stop her — unless her rib injury, for which she received treatment yesterday, hampers her. No matter how much it hurts, you can be sure Henin-Hardenne won’t retire this time. Davenport, on the other hand, just might.