Bartoli eases into semis, Stosur stopped

Bruce Emond and Musthofid ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Nusa Dua, Bali   |  Sat, 11/07/2009 1:04 PM  |  Sports

Top seed Marion Bartoli of France was in commanding form as she dispatched longtime nemesis Shahar Peer of Israel on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions, but Australian second seed Samantha Stosur ended her year with a loss at the round-robin event.

The day's other big story came off court, with the withdrawal of Belgian 3rd seed Yanina Wickmayer following a one-year suspension from her national antidoping agency for failing to comply with its regulations. Her exit handed the semifinal spot from Group C to Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm.

Date-Krumm, 39, will play Bartoli, the winner of Group A, in the first semifinal on Saturday, with Stosur's conqueror from Group B, Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain, to meet France's 10th seeded Aravane Rezai from Group D in a classic matchup of a net rusher against a baseliner.

Matches begin at 2:30 p.m.

Date-Krumm will have to hope that Bartoli, who also is double-handed on both sides, does not repeat the superlative play of Friday.

Although the world number 12 had won only one of her seven encounters with Peer, ranked 31, she played near perfect tennis to overcome the Israeli's formidable defenses 6-3, 6-2.

She broke first in the fifth game, helped by a Peer double fault, and held at love with solid groundstrokes. Although she blew three breakpoints in the next game, she broke for the set at 5-3, taking it on a netcord that dribbled into her opponent's court.

It was the same story in the second set as Bartoli raced to a 3-0 lead. Peer showed her frustration by screaming and banging her racket, but she also failed to capitalize on her few chances.

"I didn't play well, and when I did I couldn't change the momentum," said Peer, who won US$32,500.

"I'm really happy," Bartoli said. "There were so many times when I was up against Shahar but then lost the match."

The slick wooden court at the Bali International Conference Center also was more to her liking. "The ball bounces very low, it is much different than clay, so it was better for me," said the 25 year old, whose only previous win over Peer came on fast grass at Wimbledon during her run to the 2007 final.

Martinez Sanchez subdued big-serving Stosur 7-6 (4), 7-5 in a high quality contest. On paper, the result is an upset - Stosur, the world number 13, is ranked 17 places above the Spaniard - but Martinez Sanchez is playing inspired tennis after deciding to adopt an attacking game earlier this year.

Stosur boasts an exceptionally hard serve, with one of her seven aces on Friday setting a new women's speed record of 208 kph. Her opponent said only the Williams sisters serve harder in the women's game, but she stuck with her game plan of serving and volleying despite the bombardment.

After taking the first set in a tiebreak, Martinez Sanchez upped her own serve to reach 5-2, with two matchpoints. With the semifinal in sight, she suddenly got tight, and Stosur raised her game to level at 5-5.

But the Spaniard, with a confidence boost from winning the doubles championships with compatriot Nuria Llagostera Vives in Doha last Sunday, forged on close out the match.

"It really helps my singles because of my net game .," Martinez Sanchez said of reaching number 5 in the world in doubles. "People think that if you come to the net you work less, but you have to have a lot more attention *to the ball*."

Stosur, 25, was magnanimous in defeat. "She played well, I played well, it was just one of those things, a couple of points here and there."

Once known as a doubles specialist, she has come into her own as a singles player this year, including reaching the semifinals of the French Open.

"It was definitely my best year, and hopefully it will get better and better. I believed in myself and what I can do."

Russian Vera Dushevina, the alternate brought in to replace Wickmayer, beat 5th seed Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 2-6, 6-1, 7-5 late Friday.

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