===========
ASB CLASSIC (Auckland, New Zealand; hard outdoors; WTA Tier IV)
=========== http://www.asbclassic.co.nz/

Marion Bartoli won her first title in her first-ever WTA singles-
final:
1r + Emilie Loit, 6-7 (5/7) 6-3 6-1
2r + Laura Granville, 3-6 6-2 6-2
qf + Julia Schruff, 6-2 6-0
sf + NADIA PETROVA [1], 3-6 6-4 2-1 retired (left groin strain)
_f + VERA ZVONARËVA [8], 6-2 6-2

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Photos
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http://news.search.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=news_photos&p=bartoli

Search Getty Images for "bartoli"

http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=209605

http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/photogallery/ (select "Auckland")

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Semi-final (Friday)
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+ MARION BARTOLI [6] d. NADIA PETROVA [1],
3-6 6-4 2-1 retired (left groin strain)

Marion: "It's absolutely amazing to be in the final here. I cannot
dream for a better result than this, and when I came over and saw
the draw I was like, 'oh my gosh - just to reach the semi-final
would be a very good result.'

"This is the first time I've been in a WTA final, so it's really
great to make it here in Auckland. I'm so tired I can't stand on my
feet any more. Today the key was to run and run, and finally I put a
lot of pressure on her and she started to miss on the big points."

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Final (Saturday)
-----

+ MARION BARTOLI [6] d. VERA ZVONARËVA [8], 6-2 6-2

This was quite a shock after Bepa beat Maria Kirilenko 6-2 6-0 and
Daniela Hantuchová 6-2 6-2 to get to the final. I thought it was
inevitable that Bepa on this form would beat her fellow 21-year-old,
especially after totally dominating their head-to-heads:

+ Strasbourg 2003: Bepa d. Marion 6-1 6-2
+ Linz 2003: Bepa d. Marion 6-2 6-3
+ Los Angeles 2004: Bepa d. Marion 6-2 6-3

Although I like Marion quite a lot, it hurts me deeply that Bepa
missed out on the title - and she hasn't won a WTA singles-title for
11 months. Bepa is a member of my eternal fanship, but the way I
feel about this loss tells me something else: I think I'm actually
falling in love with Bepa.

Bepa is a delightfully flairsome groundstroke-artist. She has
amazing retrieval-skills, but also a great deal of power (when in
attacking mode). She is a very versatile player who experiments with
all sorts of tactics, and has beautiful punch-volleys. But her most
impressive attribute is her tremendous fighting-spirit.

Marion is a Selesian player (two hands both sides), who plays cross-
handed forehands like Monica Seles only right-handed, grunts like
Monica, and uses two hands even for volleys. Like Maria Kirilenko,
Marion is a member of my casual demi-fanship - my second tier of
favourite players.

I've seen Marion play a couple of times (1r Wimbledon 2003: lt.
Hantuchová 6-4 6-1; 2r Birmingham 2005: lt. Tanasugarn 6-3 6-0), but
I didn't see anything to suggest a result like this against an on-
form Bepa!

But apparently Marion was awesome in her first-ever WTA singles-
final, just as Bepa had been in dismantling Little Maria and Daniela
in previous rounds. Super Marion overwhelmed Bepa with a superb
display of Selesian baseline-power and precision.


Match-notes
-----------

The match started at 13:15 NZDT (00:15 GMT). No wind or rain, 32°C
on court - how will Bepa do in such hot conditions this year?

Thanks to almalyk of WTAworld for the scores and point-descriptions.
<http://www.wtaworld.com/showthread.php?t=211263>


First Set
---------
BARTOLI _*@* *@* 6
ZVONARË *___*___ 2

Bepa serving 0-0: Bepa backhand winner. 15/0. Marion smash-winner.
15/15. Bepa deep, error-forcing forehand. 30/15. Marion forehand
long. 40/15. Bepa wins a long rally to hold serve.

Marion serving 0-1: After a 30-stroke rally, Marion hits a forehand
long. 0/15. Marion crosscourt backhand winner. 15/15. Marion nets a
forehand. 15/30. Marion forehand wide. 15/40 (2 BPs). Marion drive-
volley winner. 30/40. Marion backhand winner. 40/40. Bepa wide. Ad
Marion. Bepa forced wide on the 20th stroke of the rally - Marion
holds after saving 2 BPs.

Bepa serving 1-1: Service-winner. 15/0. Marion backhand wide. 30/0.
Marion touch-volley winner. 30/15. Bepa backhand winner. 40/15.
Double fault. 40/30. Marion backhand winner down the line. 40/40.
Long rally ends with Bepa error. Ad Marion (BP). Marion breaks!

Marion serving 2-1: Bepa backhand wide. 15/0. Marion hits a deep,
error-forcing shot. 30/0. Marion crosscourt backhand winner. 40/0.
Bepa return-error.

Bepa serving 1-3: Held.

Marion serving 3-2: Marion 92% of first serves in. 15/0. Bepa
forehand winner down the line on the 30th stroke of the rally.
15/15. Bepa backhand wide. 30/15. Bepa lob-winner. "High quality
rallies!!!" 30/30. Vera's amazing retrieval-skills save three
certain winners, but Marion finishes with a backhand winner. 40/30.
Simple error by Bepa.

Bepa serving 2-4: Marion lob-winner. 0/15. Marion "amazing" backhand
winner down the line. 0/30. Marion forehand winner down the line.
0/40 (3 BPs). Marion scores a double break!

Marion serving for the first set at 5-2: Bepa return-error. 15/0.
Bepa crosscourt backhand winner. 15/15. Marion wins a spreading
rally. 30/15. Bepa unforced error. 40/15 (2 SPs). Marion blasts a
forehand winner down the line (her 14th clean winner) - wins the
first set 6-2 at 13:51 (36m).

Winners to unforced errors:
Bepa 6:8, Marion 14:6

First serves in: Bepa 55%, Marion 77%

The onus is on Marion to keep her level up. Bepa has tremendous
fighting-spirit.

Marion takes a bathroom-break.


Second Set
----------
BARTOLI @* *@* * 6
ZVONARË __*___*_ 2

Bepa serving 0-0: Marion nets a forehand. 15/0. Bepa nets a
backhand. 15/15. Long rally ends in Bepa error. 15/30. Marion return
long. 30/30. Bepa hits a deep, error-forcing shot. 40/30. Marion lob-
winner. 40/40. Double fault. Ad Marion (BP). Bepa forehand winner.
Deuce #2. Marion wrong-footing forehand winner. Ad Marion (BP #2).
Marion breaks!

Marion serving 1-0: Bepa hits an awesome crosscourt backhand winner.
0/15. Marion forehand long. 0/30. Virtual ace. 15/30. Marion
forehand winner down the line. 30/30. Bepa long. 40/30. Bepa
forehand long.

What a waste of a 0/30 window. Why can't they play this match
on /paper/?

Bepa serving 2-0: Marion backhand wide & long. 15/0. Service-winner.
30/0. Marion forehand long. 40/0. Double fault. 40/15. Game.

Marion serving 2-1: Bepa not happy with call of "out". 15/0. Bepa
nets a forehand. 30/0. Long rally ends with Bepa forced error. 40/0.
Marion holds to love, "hitting winner after winner, and Vera is not
making many errors - just Bartoli so good right now!"

Bepa serving 1-3: Bepa crosscourt forehand winner. 15/0. Bepa nets a
forehand. 15/15. Bepa forehand long. 15/30. Long rally with Bepa's
shot called "out" but overruled - so they replay the point. Bepa
backhand winner down the line. 30/30... Marion scores a double break!

Marion serving 4-1: Marion backhand netcord-winner. 15/0. Marion
forehand winner down the line (she's hit 22 winners so far). 30/0.
Bepa return-error. 40/0. Marion holds to love.

Bepa serving to stay in the match at 1-5: Two forced errors. 0/30.
0/40 (3 CPs). Bepa forehand winner. 15/40. Marion nets a return.
30/40. Bepa backhand winner. 40/40. Marion looks tight, makes an
unforced error. Ad Bepa. Game.

Marion serving for the title at 5-2: Long point, Marion forehand
winner. 15/0. Bepa nets a sliced backhand. 30/0. Marion forehand
wide. 30/15. Marion crosscourt forehand winner. 40/15 (2 more CPs).
Bepa saves them both with winners! 40/40. Bepa forehand winner. Ad
Bepa (BP). Bepa unforced error. Deuce #2. And again. Ad Marion
(CP #6). Marion wins 6-2 6-2 at 14:50 (1h35m).

almalyk: "She was elated with her first title and went into the
audience to find her dad."

At least 1h35m means that Bepa offered more resistance than the
scoreline implies. Bepa beat Daniela by the same score in 1h08m.

almalyk: "Vera didn't play badly at all -quite well. I think Marion
could've almost beaten anyone today."


On-court interviews
-------------------

Bepa: "Congratulations to Marion. I didn't show my best today, but
it's a reason to come back in 2007 and show even better."


Marion: "I'm very happy. I've been tired all week, all matches were
a struggle. I thought I won on my first match-point, but Vera ran so
fast to my dropshot; after that I was shaking on all of them!

"Congratulations to Vera - I take advantage of this moment because
probably she will beat me next time."


Bepa quotes
-----------

"Maybe I wasn't able to show the best of myself today. I tried, but
Marion played really well. Still, it's a good start to the year for
me, and maybe I have to come back and win it next year."


Marion quotes
-------------

"I think I played really amazing tennis today. During November and
December I did a lot of physical training, which helped me today
because sometimes we had some very tough rallies and I was winning
these points, and a couple of points later I was still winning them
because I was not tired.

"It feels awesome. When I came here from Geneva after 24 hours of
flying, I was so tired I felt it would be hard to put one foot in
front of the other.

"And when I saw all the good Russian players here, Nadia the top
seed, and Vera and all the others, I thought it would definitely be
a Russian winner, but finally I won myself and I'm really proud of
it."

--
Dr. Andrew Broad
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/zvona/
http://www.geocities.com/andrewbroad/tennis/seles/selesians.html

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/verazvonareva/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/selesians/