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Bartoli joins Rezai in Bali semifinals
06 November 2009 (18:23)
Marion Bartoli © Gallo Images
Top seed Marion Bartoli joined French compatriot Aravane Rezai in the semifinals of the Bali Tournament of Champions with a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Shahar Peer of Israel on Friday.

Bartoli completed the weekend line-up at the $600 000 tournament comprising the ten highest-ranking players who have won a WTA International title this year but who did not compete in the season-ending WTA Championships in Qatar, which finished on Sunday.

Two wildcards were also included.

Saturday's line-up will pit Bartoli against Japan's Kimiko Date Krumm, while Rezai faces Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.

Rezai, with a perfect 2-0 group record like Bartoli's, on Thursday was the first to reach the final four at this resort island.

Date Krumm earned a place earlier on Friday when Belgian Yanina Wickmayer quit on news of her one-year ban for missing doping tests.

Wickmayer, the world number 18, was suspended on Thursday by the Flemish Doping Tribunal (VDT) for failing three times to fulfill the controversial "whereabouts rule".

Her withdrawal after the ban, which can be appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, put 39-year-old Date Krumm through. The Japanese veteran is the only Asian in the 12-woman field.

Wickmayer's spot in the field was taken by Russian alternate Vera Dushevina, who finished off three days of group competition with a meaningless 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 defeat of Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain.

Date Krumm was joined in the last four by Spain's Martinez Sanchez, a winner over Australian second seed Samantha Stosur 7-6 (7/4), 7-5.

Bartoli's victory was never in doubt in her 76-minute duel with Peer, who was controversially given a visa to enter Indonesia, a mostly Muslim nation, only at the last minute.

Bartoli advanced on the first of three match points after four breaks of her opponent's serve.

"I had to stay really focused at the end because there are so many matches against Shahar when I was winning a set and 4-1 or 3-0 and she was coming back to beat me in three sets," said Bartoli.

"When I was 4-2 up and 15-40 down and still held my serve was really important. My groundstrokes were really strong and deep and I was not doing a lot of mistakes from the baseline.

"My power was pretty high so I was putting a lot of pressure on her. It helps when you hit a lot of winners and few mistakes -- usually you win the match."

Stosur, a doubles standout who is trying to fashion a top-level singles career after reaching the Roland Garros semis this season, was unable to capitalise against Martinez Sanchez in their group showdown.

Stosur fired seven aces but was weighed down by six double-faults in a patchy serving effort.

The 25-year-old broke her Spanish opponent twice in the second set but dropped her own serve three times to eventually go down after a struggle of just over two hours.

"It was a really tough match," said the winner. "It was really close in both sets. You've never won until the last point. She was fighting and fighting and in one moment I was doubting."

Stosur was a late qualifier for the Bali field thanks to a title in Osaka, the first of her singles career.

"She played very well today and I played well, and it's just one of those things," said Stosur.

"There was nothing glaringly obvious, just a couple of points here or there or a couple of returns here or there. Before you know it, the match is over."

Remember to go to www.supersport.com on your Mobile phone and keep in touch with the latest scores wherever you are.



© Sapa - AFP
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