Marion Bartoli and Aravane Rezai will face each other in the final of the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions on Sunday after they both earned comfortable victories. Bartoli overcame some late resistance to defeat Kimiko Date Krumm 6-1 6-3, and Rezai beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-2 6-3.
Bartoli made the best possible start, breaking Date Krumm’s serve in the opening game when she netted a forehand, and then firing down three consecutive aces and a service winner to hold for 2-0.
Date Krumm was simply overwhelmed for most of the match, making too many unforced errors against an opponent playing near the top of her game. Bartoli broke again for 3-0, and although she gave up her own serve in the next game she controlled the remainder of the set.
The second set saw much of the same, reflecting the 89 places that separates them in the rankings, as Bartoli built a 5-0 lead before holding a match point when Date Krumm double-faulted.
Bartoli failed to convert that opportunity when her forehand down the line landed wide, and Date Krumm rebounded to hold serve for the first time in the match. She also broke in the next game and held two break points to get back on serve as she finally found her rhythm. But it was too little, too late, as Bartoli held on to close out the match.
"Until 6-1 5-1 it was absolutely perfect", said Bartoli, who will hope to add to the titles she won earlier this year in Monterrey and Stanford. "Then Kimiko started to play really well. She was swinging freely and hitting some really great shots. It wasn’t my level going down, it was her playing too good. But I knew I just had to win one more game and that’s what I did.
" It was quite hard, even if I was leading 6-1 5-0. The games were quite tough and the level was not that big a difference. So i was really trying to play each ball with the best accuracy as possible and the best power as possible see how it goes."
Date Krumm admitted she hadn’t played well, but also that Bartoli was simply too good for her.
"I like this surface but I think she likes it more than me, and I think she likes my ball also, very flat," said Date Krumm. "If I can play with more spin I think she would have more trouble, but that’s not my tennis. In the beginning I tried to hit more angles, using the backhand slice and dropshot, but her ball is very deep so it’s difficult to hit them. And I made too many mistakes, and if I didn’t hit the right angle she could attack."
It was a similar story in the second semi-final, but without the fightback. Rezai began well by breaking in the opening game, and never let go of her advantage. After winning the first set she broke for 2-1 in the second, and her powerful play kept Martinez Sanchez on the back foot. In a classy finish, Rezai closed out the match by winning the last two games at love and hitting a great crosscourt backhand winner on match point.
In the same way that Date Krumm thought she had a game that Bartoli liked, Rezai liked the game of Martinez Sanchez.
"It was a pretty good match. I’m very happy. I felt like I played very well, no mistakes. Today was perfect," said Rezai.
"She played a game that I really like. She came to volley (at the net) a lot of times and one of my best shots is passing, so me it was easier to play this shot, hitting flat and down the line. So her game was perfect for me."
Next Event
. I saw Sam as well. There was a short clip of her against MJMS and she looked so frustrated 
)
