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Bartoli marches into Paris final

Marion Bartoli is through to the finals on home soil after beating Klara Zakopalova in straight sets in the semi-finals of the Open GDF SUEZ.

After a trying time getting through to the semi-finals where she needed three sets to see off Roberta Vinci, the Frenchwoman had a relatively easy time on Saturday.

With Bartoli clinching a tight first set in a tie-break, Zakopalova’s spirit seemed to wane and it was all the number two who stormed to a 7-6 (3) 6-0 victory.

“Klara was playing incredibly well early on and it took me a while to get things sorted out,” Bartoli said.

“In the end the match was a lot easier to control than yesterday’s. She was a little less solid than my opponent yesterday and when she saw I was putting more pressure on her serve, she began to crack and didn’t manage to come up with any answers.

“I didn’t have any aches or pains from yesterday but my muscles were still a little bit stiff, which is expected when you play on hardcourts.”

Bartoli is up against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in Sunday’s final after the ninth seed saw off Yanina Wickmayer 6-7 (2) 6-3 6-4.

“When it was 1-3 in the third set I just told myself to play it point by point and fight for every ball,” Kerber said.

“I think in the end there were only two or three balls that made the difference, because both of us were playing very well.”

Looking ahead to Sunday’s final, she added: “In my first final I was very nervous, but now I won’t be thinking it’s a final, I’m thinking it’s the next match. I will just give my best.”