Kerber reaches Eastbourne final; Bartoli ousted in semis
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Rising German star Angelique Kerber secured a berth in the final, while defending champion Marion Bartoli suffered a semifinal upset Friday at the Aegon International tennis event, a final Wimbledon tune-up.
Austrian Tamira Paszek upended the fourth-seeded world No. 9 Bartoli in come-from-behind fashion, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, on the grass courts at Devonshire Park. The 2007 Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli beat reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in last year's Eastbourne finale.
Meanwhile, a fifth-seeded Kerber was broken only once in spanking Czech veteran Klara Zakopalova 6-0, 6-3 in a mere 59 minutes on Day 5. The left- handed German now leads the WTA with 39 match wins this year and will battle Paszek in Saturday's finale.
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The 24-year-old world No. 8 Kerber will appear in her third final of 2012, seeking a third championship. She's already titled in Paris and Copenhagen this season, marking the first two titles of her blossoming career.
Kerber is 2-1 in her career finals, with the loss coming in Bogota in 2010.
The 21-year-old 2011 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Paszek is also 2-1 in her career finals, with her last victory coming two years ago in Quebec City.
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Kerber and Paszek will meet for the first time on the WTA circuit on Saturday.
The winner of this $637,000 event will collect $107,000.