Bartoli and Stosur Advance to US Open 4th Round

Marion Bartoli of France has matched her best results at the US Open by reaching the 4th round.  The 11th seed defeated Kristina Mladenovic in straight sets earlier today.  Known for her double-handed forehands, Bartoli had a banner year in 2011, reaching the SFs of Roland Garros and the QFs at Wimbledon. 2012 has been a bit of a disappointment to date and her performance at the US Open marks her first 4th round grand slam appearance all year.

After surviving a 3-set scare against Switzerland’s Romina Oprandi in the 2nd round, Bartoli looked much stronger against Mladenovic.  She set the tone early by defending her serve well and even striking down a few aces.  In only her second ever US Open, the 150th ranked Mladenovic spewed unforced errors across the court and was never able to get a good grip on the match.  After winning the first set at 6-2 with relative ease, Bartoli fought for the second set to take it 6-4 in a match lasting exactly 90 minutes.  Securing her place in the 4th round, the 11th seed will face 5th seed Petra Kvitova for a place in the QFs.

Defending US Open champion Samantha Stosur also won in straight sets today.  Her opponent Varvara Lepchenko challenged her in the 1st set but in the end could not overcome her powerful service games.  Stosur ended the match winning an incredible 34 out of 38 1st serve points.  So far in the tournament, the Australian native has not come up against too much resistance.  In the 4th round she will play the UK’s Laura Robson, who has defeated Kim Clijsters and Li Na in her last two matches.