WTA Stanford – Saturday Semi-finals Preview

Marion Bartoli vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Marion Bartoli and Dominika Cibulkova will meet in Stanford on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Bank of the West Classic.

Marion Bartoli will be pleased with her progress this week in Stanford, as she’s managed to reach the semi-finals of the Bank of the West Classic without dropping a set. She was handed a bye in the first round, and then went on to defeat Rebecca Marino of Canada, 6-4, 6-3. The third seed was pitted against Ayumi Morita in the quarter-finals, and she won the first set 6-1, before Morita was forced to retire.

Bartoli’s next challenge will be a semi-final clash against eighth seed Dominika Cibulkova. Cibulkova stormed through to the last four by thrashing Marina Erakovic 6-1, 6-1 in the quarter-finals. The world No. 19 is still searching for her first WTA title of the season, and she’ll be hoping to give Bartoli a real test on Saturday.

Following a series of four matches in 2008, Bartoli currently holds a 2-2 head to head record against Cibulkova. It’s not easy to predict which player will reach the final here, though if anyone is the favourite it’s Bartoli. This promises to be an exciting matchup.