Marion Bartoli beats Angelique Kerber in semi-final – HP Japan Open 2011
German, Angelique Kerber, went head to head with the French, Marion Bartoli, in the semi-final in the semi-final of the HP Japan Open played in Osaka, Japan on Sunday October 16th. The fourth encounter between the two
extended the head-to-head lead to 3-1 in the favour of the 27-year-old, Bartoli. She won the match in straight sets, overpowering the German in an hour and thirty-eight minutes with a cumulative score of 6-1, 7-6(5).
It was an opportunity for the German International to level the head-to-head score but her luck was out. Both of them were in their prime form having lost just twice in their previous eight battles and these stats build up to an
exciting encounter. Crowd was in there to support their favourite players.
World No.31 was in search for its first silverware of her career whilst her opponent was in hunt for her seventh title. Geneva resident, Bartoli, stepped in the arena as the favourite; second seeded and superior in the ranking,
she had an upper hand from the start.
Experienced second seed started the match in a dominating manner, winning the first four games of the first set and placing her opponent on the back foot. There was no coming back from that stage and Kerber didn’t try to create
any impact as well.
Bartoli broke Kerber’s serve thrice and sealed the first set with an ace and winning 30 points from the total of 49. It was a major setback for the French International who couldn’t manage to break once and couldn’t even capitalize
on her own serves as well.
Trailing one set down, it required great enthusiasm and courage to bounce back after and place a mark on the game. Surprisingly, she had more self-belief than her critics thought and she came back in an exciting fashion with some
outrageous shots and confident game play.
German extended the second set to the tie-breaker. No one could break anyone’s serve throughout the set. French was much more experienced than the German; the magnificent control over her serves couldn’t dismantle her focus. She
held her nerves and after a nail-biting contest, she went on to take have the ultimate glory of reaching the final of tournament.
Five aces from the German were the most fascinating part of the second set. She won the match by registering 56% points winning rate and three break points. Kerber did try her best to push the match into the third set but the experience
of her counterpart and her elegance was better than her skill and talent.
The final is now drawn between the second seed Marion Bartoli and the top seed Samantha Stosur of Australia.
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