Top-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli
and sixth-seeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez secured berths in
Saturday's semifinals at the $600,000 Tournament of Champions tennis event.
Bartoli went 2-0 and captured this week's A Group with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over
seventh-seeded Israeli Shahar Peer (1-1) in Friday's round-robin action on the
indoor hardcourts at the Bali International Convention Centre.
The former Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli will face 39-year-old Japanese Kimiko
Date Krumm (1-1) in Saturday's final four. The 12th-seeded Date Krumm wound up
capturing this week's three-woman C Group.
The other semifinal will pit Martinez Sanchez (2-0) against 10th-seeded
Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai (2-0). Martinez Sanchez was this week's B Group
winner, while Rezai wrapped up a D Group win here on Thursday.
Martinez Sanchez toppled second-seeded Aussie Samantha Stosur 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
on Friday. Stosur went 1-1 this week.
In Friday's other round-robin play, fourth-seeded German Sabine Lisicki (1-1)
held off eighth-seeded Hungarian Melinda Czink 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4 and
alternate Vera Dushevina (1-0) of Russia, replacing third-seeded Belgian
Yanina Wickmayer (1-0) in the field, overcame fifth-seeded Spaniard Anabel
Medina Garrigues 2-6, 6-1, 7-5. Czink and Medina Garrigues each went 0-2 for
the week.
The surprise U.S. Open semifinalist Wickmayer pulled out of the competition
here after learning that she has been suspended for one year by an anti-doping
tribunal. The 20-year-old Belgian failed to report her whereabouts to anti-
doping officials on three occasions this year.
An undefeated Tournament of Champions titlist this week would earn $200,000.
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