Eastbourne, England – Rising German star Angelique Kerber secured a berth in the final, while defending champion Marion Bartoli suffered a semifinal upset Friday at the Aegon International tennis event, a final Wimbledon tune-up.
Austrian Tamira Paszek upended the fourth-seeded world No. 9 Bartoli in come-from-behind fashion, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, on the grass courts at Devonshire Park. The 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli beat reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in last year's Eastbourne finale.
Meanwhile, a fifth-seeded Kerber was broken only once in spanking Czech veteran Klara Zakopalova 6-0, 6-3 in a mere 59 minutes on Day 5. The left- handed German now leads the WTA with 39 match wins this year and will battle Paszek in Saturday's finale.
The 24-year-old world No. 8 Kerber will appear in her third final of 2012, seeking a third championship. She's already titled in Paris and Copenhagen this season, marking the first two titles of her blossoming career.
Kerber is 2-1 in her career finals, with the loss coming in Bogota in 2010.
The 21-year-old 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Paszek is also 2-1 in her career finals, with her last victory coming two years ago in Quebec City.
Kerber and Paszek will meet for the first time on the WTA circuit on Saturday.
The winner of this $637,000 event will collect $107,000.
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