France’s Marion Bartoli Stuns Justine Henin in Wimbledon Semifinals
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jul 6, 2007 | Print |
Marion Bartoli has been exuding confidence as each round has progressed at Wimbledon and to the delight of her fans across the Channel, she backed it up today by scoring a berth in the 2007 Wimbledon Championship match with a 1-6, 5-7, 6-1 knock-out of world number one Justine Henin.
Confession time: Two weeks ago, if I had picked an underdog to reach the final at SW19, Marion Bartoli would probably have been on the second page of my picks.
The twenty-two year old Frenchwoman’s career has been a myriad of ups and downs with fitness and consistency problems, but it is as if a complete different player has turned up on the grounds of Wimbledon this year.
Justine Henin kick-started the match with a twenty-two minute cruise-control set and by all outward appearances, it looked as if she was quickly headed for her third Wimbledon final.
The conditions were windy on Centre Court today, but by the middle of the second set, Justine Henin was struggling to find the pace on her shots and keep her forehand in play. Bartoli has a powerful two-handed forehand herself and with the wind weakening Justine’s second serve, she came out firing in the second set and leveled the match at 7-5.
Believe me, I’m not trying to downplay Bartoli’s win because she definitely deserves a big pat on the back for fighting her nerves and dealing with the pressure of playing for a spot in the final on Centre Court.
But Justine Henin completely self-destructed and played some of her worst tennis in months, especially in the third set.
Her forehand (her best shot) was flying all over the court, and instead of making adjustments to her game to compensate for the wind by taking some of the pace off, Henin kept firing wild shots beyond the baseline. Fortunately, she spared herself the embarrassment of a bagel set when she held for 5-1, but Bartoli won the match on her first match point for a 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 stunner.
Be sure to check back at On the Baseline later today for a preview of the 2007 Wimbledon Ladies Final.
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Bob | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
this is amazing..
Will.I.Am | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
THIS IS TOO MUCH! Bartoli has stunned the world! The first time I ever saw her play was two weeks ago at Eastborne were she was easily defeated. The odds of her being in the final were out of this world, but she made it! I can’t believe it!
Wilson Spaulding | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
Are you gasping for air? Are you blinking and rubbing your eyes in profound disbelief? Have you felt the need to pinch yourself to make sure this is not a dream (or a nightmare)? Well, you’re not dreaming. This is for real. And in the realm of tennis it qualifies as the upset of the year. Marion Bartoli has actually eclipsed the Williams sisters in the shocking upset department. Like Serena in Australia in January, no one saw this one coming. Absolutely stunning! Bartoli (looking for all the world like Monica Seles in her prime) will be written about for at least the next two weeks. And now on to the final against Venus. Let’s make it a match ladies. You’re both already big winners!
Will.I.Am | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
Wilson, you need a blog!
Wilson Spaulding | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
No time! So you squeeze in a lot in a short space. Gotta go!
Aaress | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
Wilson, I wasn’t gasping - I was about to hurl a tennis ball through my computer screen.
No seriously, and it wasn’t anger or irritation - just total unbelief that on one of the most difficult surfaces (and one that hardly EVER produces) surprising finalists a player like Marion Bartoli slid her way into the Championship match. Unbelievable.
All I want now is for a good match tomorrow - and the same caliber of play that she brought to the court against Justine. I don’t think she is going to deny Venus, but boy oh boy, if she does, that’ll be the win of the decade.
Oh and I agree with Will.I.Am - you seriously need a blog. I love reading your comments and if you ever want to take a stab at guest posting, fire me an email!
peter | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
I just hope that bartoli play relax and play the nothing to lose way … and also really really hope venus have 0 percent of firts serves…:):)
I really admire marion….
Diane | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
Justine had a melt-down in the third set because her head was spinning. No one on the tour is faster on the court than Henin and Jankovic, but even they could not keep running down these laser groundstrokes.
I never doubted that Bartoli could mess up Justine’s game, but I thought she would run out of gas by the semifinal. And I didn’t think she would be able to adjust for the wind without compromising the accuracy of her shots. Silly me.
DT | Jul 6, 2007 | Reply
I feel for Justine. I really wanted her to have it.