London: Marion Bartoli of France eliminated the last US player at Wimbledon on Tuesday, reaching her third Grand Slam semi-final by beating Sloane Stephens 6-4, 7-5 in a rain-interrupted, break-filled match.
The 15th-seeded Bartoli, the 2007 runner-up at the All England Club, was leading 5-4 with Stephens serving at deuce when they resumed after a 2½-hour rain delay. Bartoli won the next two points, the latter a 27-stroke exchange, to take the opening set.
That began a stretch in which Bartoli broke Stephens five consecutive times, four at love. After Stephens broke to get within 5-4, then held to 5-all, Bartoli took the last two games, including yet another break at love to end the quarterfinal.
In Thursday's semi-finals, Bartoli faces 20th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens, who defeated 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.
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