Bartoli Advances Into Bank of the West Classic Quarterfinals
Number two seed Marion Bartoli and third-seeded Dominika Cibulkova coasted to straight-set wins on Thursday, highlighting second-round main draw action at the Bank of the West Classic. Bartoli, the 2009 tournament champion, survived an early scare from Stanford senior Mallory Burdette and posted a 7-5, 6-0 victory in her first match of the tournament. With Burdette leading 5-2 and serving for set point, Bartoli stormed back to win 11 consecutive games and punch her ticket to the quarterfinals. When it was all said and done, Stanford fans witnessed another hard-fought performance from one of their own, as Burdette did all she could to challenge Bartoli.
One day earlier, junior Nicole Gibbs turned in an inspired effort against 14-time major champion Serena Williams in a 6-2, 6-1 loss. Both Stanford players gained valuable experience competing against the sport’s premier players while picking up their first career WTA victories in the process.
Cibulkova was even more dominant in her match, routing qualifier Erika Sema 6-1, 6-3 in the nightcap. Cibulkova, who reached the semifinals of last year’s Bank of the West Classic, needed only one hour and 16 minutes to secure the win. Cibulkova’s quarterfinal opponent will be the number nine seed Sorana Cirstea, who made quick work of lucky loser Saisai Zheng in a 6-3, 6-3 victory to open the morning session.
The fourth seeded player in action, number eight Marina Erakovic, was not as fortunate. Erakovic was knocked off by Urszula Radwanska, suffering a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 setback in the second match of the day. The lone scheduled doubles match of the day went unplayed, with the number three-seeded duo of Natalie Grandin & Vladimira Uhlirova advancing to the next round after Radwanska withdrew due to heat illness.
