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Radwanska tops Bartoli to set up clash with Petrova

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska returns the ball against Marion Bartoli of France during their semi-finals match at the International Women's Open at Devonshire Park, Eastbourne, England, on Friday. Radwanska won 7-5, 6-3. PHOTO: EPA

Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska denied 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli a second career final on grass with a 7-5, 6-3 victory at the Eastbourne Championships on Friday.

Second-seeded Frenchwoman Bartoli, beaten in last summer’s title match at the All England club by Venus Williams, failed in her bid to fine-tune for the season’s third Grand Slam starting tomorrow.

Radwanska, who won the Pattaya and Istanbul titles this year, will aim to complete a hat-trick this year when she faces Russian eighth seed Nadia Petrova, who defeated Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-3.

“She played tough at the Australian Open,” Radwanska said of her fourth-round win in January over the Russian after rallying from 6-2, 3-0 love down to turn the tide for victory.

Bartoli was felled by seven double-faults and five breaks of serve. All but one of the 13 break points she faced came in the second set. Petrova had a poor start to the season and is keen to make an impression before the Wimbledon start.

“I realize that I now have a great chance to finally win a title on grass,” said the holder of seven WTA titles on all other surfaces. “But it’s really looking good for me now, I’d love to get a victory on grass.”



■ NOTTINGHAM OPEN

AP, NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND

Defending champion Ivo Karlovic beat Gael Monfils of France 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) on Friday to advance to the final of the Nottingham Open.

The fourth-seeded Karlovic will face No. 3 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, who beat Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-3, 6-1 at the grass-court Wimbledon warmup tournament.

“I’m pleased I’m in the final and also with the way I was playing,” Karlovic said. “I was struggling with my serve a little bit today but I was returning better.”

Monfils struggled with a shoulder injury but broke the hard-serving Karlovic twice during the match. The eighth-seeded Monfils said he hurt his shoulder before the match and changed his tactics because of the injury.

“I felt it before a little bit but today it was worse, I couldn’t serve and at the end of the match I couldn’t play,” he said. “I came into the net more because I wanted to shorten the points. My physio will have a look at it — he said there is inflammation.”



■ ORDINA OPEN

AP, DEN BOSCH, NETHERLANDS

Top-seeded David Ferrer defeated Juan Martin Del Potro 7-6 (4), 6-1 to set up a final against Marc Gicquel in the Ordina Open.

Gicquel rallied to beat Guillermo Canas 3-6, 6-0, 6-4 for a chance at his first ATP title in a nine-year career. The 31-year-old Frenchman has reached a tournament final only twice before, but has beaten Ferrer in both their previous encounters, at Metz in 2006 and at Lyon in 2005.

“I think it’s a very good final and people will enjoy this final,” Ferrer said.

Gicquel won four of five break points against the seventh-seeded Canas.

Ferrer, ranked No. 5 in the world, never dropped serve against Del Potro, hitting six aces in the Wimbledon warmup.

Yesterday’s final was to be the first on grass for Ferrer, who has six career titles. He is seeded fifth in Wimbledon starting next week.

In the women’s tournament, French Open finalist Dinara Safina never faced a break point as she upset top-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 in an all-Russian semi-final.

Her opponent in the final will be Thai qualifier Tamarine Tanasugarn, who beat Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine 6-2, 6-4.

Safina was the 2006 runner-up in Den Bosch and a semi-finalist last year.


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