Bartoli Outlasts McHale to Reach Carlsbad Semis

By Chris Oddo

(July 20, 2012)--Marion Bartoli has hit 29 double faults in her last two matches and been pushed to the brink by her opponent in each of them as well. To complicate matters further, she's also suffering from a strained left hip.

Apparently, that which does not kill the Frenchwoman only makes her stronger.

The top-seed and world No. 10 defeated fifth-seeded American Christina McHale today to advance to the semifinals of the Mercury Insurance Open, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. The two-hour, fifty-minute battle featured six breaks of serve by each player, but just like Wednesday, when Bartoli edged American Vania King after a tense, erratic affair, the world No. 10 held strong at the finish on Friday night.

With the victory, Bartoli avenged a lopsided defeat at the hands of McHale last fall in Beijing, and she advances to face Taiwan's Yung-Jan Chan in one of tomorrow's semifinal.

Chan notched an impressive win over Jelena Jankovic, saving two match points in the second set before coming through 6-7(4), 7-6(8), 7-5. The three-hour, thirteen-minute victory was Chan's third top 20 victory of her career.

The other semifinal will feature second-seeded Dominika Cibulkova and fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova.

Cibulkova notched a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Urszula Radwanska, while Petrova eliminated American Varvara Lepchenko in a third-set tiebreaker, 6-4, 2-6, 7--6(5).

Defending Champ Hercog into Bastad Semis

Polona Hercog ended a personal two-match losing streak against Tsvetana Pironkova today on the red clay in Bastad, Sweden 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

21-year-old Hercog, who captured her lone WTA title in Bastad last year when she defeated Johanna Larsson in the final, will next face seventh-seeded German Mona Barthel.

Barthel has yet to drop a set in Bastad after defeating home favorite Sofia Arvidsson 6-3, 6-4 this afternoon.

Mathilde Johansson of France, who defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals, will face Johanna Larsson in the other semifinal on Saturday.

Larsson upset third-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-4 in her rain-delayed second-round match, then passed through to the semis when Klara Zakopalova retired after just two games in their quarterfinal.

(Photo Credit: Stephen Dunn/ Getty)