Charleston, SC – French slugger Marion Bartoli was a hard- fought marathon second-round winner Wednesday at the $740,000 Family Circle Cup tennis event.
The third-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli outlasted Russian Vera Dushevina 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 in just over three hours on the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center. The grueling affair featured 11 service breaks, including seven by the winner.
Bartoli will next face Slovenian Polona Hercog on Thursday.
Kazakhstanian qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova upended 12th-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 7-6 (7-2), while 13th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova came back to dismiss 37-year-old American qualifier Jill Craybas 2-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2. The former top-10 player Petrova was the Charleston champ in 2006.
In other action involving seeds, a No. 14 Hercog leveled American Varvara Lepchenko 6-3, 3-2 and No. 17 Marina Erakovic, of New Zealand, doused Georgian Anna Tatishvili 7-5, 6-3. Erakovic is rewarded with a third-round match against American great Serena Williams. The former world No. 1 Williams titled here in 2008 and was the runner-up back in 2003.
In some other second-round play, Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak handled Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 and Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva blitzed Argentine qualifier Paula Ormaechea 6-2, 6-3. Voskoboeva should have her hands full with second-seeded 2010 Charleston champ and reigning U.S. Open titlist Samantha Stosur on Thursday.
This week's titlist will claim $115,000.
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