Bartoli beats Zakopalova in Paris semifinals

PARIS (AP) -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.

Bartoli will face Angelique Kerber of Germany, who edged Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4.

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 tiebreaker.

"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.

In the second semifinal, Kerber broke for a 4-3 lead in the final set on an unforced error from Wickmayer.

Wickmayer saved four match points at 5-3, but Kerber clinched victory in the next game when the Belgian netted a backhand return.

Kerber, a U.S. Open semifinalist, made 16 fewer unforced errors than Wickmayer.