Marion Bartoli beat Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (3), 6-0 Saturday to reach the Open GDF Suez final.
The second-seeded Frenchwoman hit two consecutive aces to take a 5-0 lead in the final set, converting her first match point with a forehand return winner.
Zakopalova took a 4-2 lead in the first set, but Bartoli saved two set points in the eighth game and broke back in the ninth with a forehand return winner to force a tie-breaker.
''In the beginning of the match, she hit some great shots,'' Bartoli said. ''She would have been too strong for me if she had kept playing like that. I weathered the storm, telling myself that it would be difficult for her to maintain such a level throughout the match.''
Bartoli capitalized on a couple of unforced errors from Zakopalova to lead 5-1 in the tiebreaker, and won the first set when the Czech hit a backhand return long.
''At one point, I felt that I was getting the upper hand,'' Bartoli said. ''She was struggling and making unforced errors that she didn't make when she was leading ... From the moment I won the first set, things became clearly more difficult for her.''
Bartoli reached her first final since winning the Japan Open last October.
