Marion Bartoli vs. Daniela Hantuchova in Cincinnati Open

Marion Bartoli and Daniela Hantuchova will face-off on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open.

Marion Bartoli is the eighth seed in this year’s Western and Southern Open, and she made a near perfect start on Tuesday by cruising past Alona Bondarenko in straight sets (6-1, 6-2). Bartoli has been in consistently good form this year, and if she hits top gear this week she might be able to clinch a second WTA title for 2011. Bartoli will continue in Cincinnati by taking on Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia. Hantuchova is ranked just outside of the top twenty, and she’s been competitive in recent events. She isn’t one of the main contenders here, but she showed that she can be a major threat by breezing past Flavia Pennetta in round two in straight sets (6-3, 6-4).

Bartoli is ranked above Hantuchova, but she’s not necessarily the favourite to win this matchup. Hantuchova has won her last two matches against Bartoli, and currently holds a 4-1 head to head record against her. This could be a fascinating contest, and it will be intriguing to see who gets the upper hand.