Wimbledon 2013: Marion Bartoli storms into final

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4 July 2013

Marion Bartoli had a half-hour snooze before her semi-final today but there was nothing dozy about her performance as she swept past Kirsten Flipkens 6-1, 6-2.

The Frenchwoman defeated Belgium’s Justine Henin in her 2007 semi-final but Henin’s compatriot posed even less of a threat in a thoroughly one-sided contest.

Bartoli bedded down at midday but was wide awake by the time her match began on Centre Court an hour later. Just 73 minutes later she was celebrating her passage into Saturday’s final (above).

Bartoli said: “Today I saw the ball like a football. I was playing so well and hitting the ball so cleanly. Everything just went perfectly. Kirsten had an amazing run here and I just wanted to congratulate her for a fantastic Wimbledon. I think she was a bit injured today.”

The 15th seed believes she is an improved player since her previous final defeat to Serena Williams, adding: “I am doing everything better.

“I think I am able to hit the ball harder, I am moving faster, I am serving better. I just do everything a bit better.

“I think if I compare myself now with my game six years ago, I would probably be beating myself quite easily now because I am just doing everything better.”

Flipkens was clearly curtailed by a knee problem and had struggled to make her mark early on in her previous encounter against former champion Petra Kvitova

Bartoli never let her settle into any sort of routine, serving well and her heavy groundstrokes increasingly forcing Flipkens well back behind the baseline and on the defensive.

In contrast, Flipkens, an amateur magician in her free time, seemed daunted by her first career Grand Slam semi-final and was unable to conjure up her usual box of tricks on court. Her range was out while her shot selection went similarly awry.

She had the worst possible start when Bartoli broke serve to go 2-0, simmering with energy on every point, fist pumping and skipping in the process.

Flipkens briefly stopped the rot to hold serve in the fourth game but, from there, her opponent ran away with the first set, an ace and a puff of chalk sealing the deal.

The second set began like the first, Flipkens being broken in her very first service game and, after being broken a second time in the set and 3-0 down, she called for the trainer.

More tape was added to her already heavily strapped right knee, and it had the desired effect briefly before Bartoli seized control again to win.

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Wimbledon 2013: Marion Bartoli storms into final

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