Bartoli stops Stosur to make Eastbourne final
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marion Bartoli of France reached the final at Eastbourne with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Samantha Stosur on Saturday.
She will face fifth-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, who advanced when unseeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia retired with an abdominal injury with Kvitova leading 7-6 (9), 4-2.
The semifinals were postponed on Friday because of rain. Organizers planned to play both the semifinals and finals on Saturday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bartoli was playing her fifth straight Eastbourne semifinal but had never before progressed to the final.
She broke to lead 2-0 when Stosur netted a forehand and fought off a break point in the next game.
Bartoli broke again to lead 2-1 in the second set when Stosur made another forehand error and then dominated with her more aggressive play and fewer unforced errors.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hantuchova led 3-0 after breaking in the second game, but Kvitova broke back in the fifth game and Hantuchova received treatment when leading 4-3.
She held a set point at 6-5 in the tiebreaker before Kvitova edged through on her fourth set point. The Czech broke to lead 2-0 before Hantuchova retired four games later.