 | Cibulkova stuns Bartoli to win title
24 July 2012
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CARLSBAD, California: Dominika Cibulkova beat top-seeded Marion Bartoli 6-1, 7-5 Sunday to win the WTA Carlsbad crown, warming up for the London Olympics with her second career title.
The second seed from Slovakia needed 95 minutes to overcome her fatigued French opponent, whose sixth double fault of the contest gave Cibulkova three match points.
Cibulkova needed only one, falling on her back in joy after converting it.
Bartoli ran out of steam after a long week on court that included a series of three-set matches as she struggled with a sore hip.
By the time they reached the final, world No. 10 Bartoli had spent a total of four more hours on court than Cibulkova.
Cibulkova, who is slated to rise one place to 13th in the world when the rankings are released on Monday, was playing in her second final of the season, after losing in the title match in Barcelona.
The Slovak broke Bartoli three times in the first set, Bartoli making it easier with a double fault on set point.
Bartoli turned the tables with two service breaks for a 4-1 lead in the
second, but the Slovak responded by winning four straight games.
Cibulkova broke Bartoli for a second time in the set to knot the score at 4-4, winning 13 of 16 points during that surge.
Cibulkova then broke Bartoli one last time to seal the match in which she won six of the last seven games.
Bartoli was playing her first day match after winning three tough ones at night and said the change made a difference to her game.(AFP) | | See Also in Sports News
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