She doesn’t play on the Fed Cup team, her compatriots don’t always have the kindest words to say about her, and she’s never really seemed to be embraced by her country, but tonight, Marion Bartoli might be the most popular woman in France after becoming just the fourth Frenchwoman of the Open Era to make it into the Roland Garros semifinals.
She will certainly be the happiest. After shaking hands with Svetlana Kuznetsova, whom she had just defeated 7-6 (4), 6-4, Bartoli bobbed across the court in an unorthodox victory jig, head thrown back, fists clenched beneath her chin as the crowd chanted her name. An all-or-nothing player in more senses than one, Bartoli was almost painfully intense from start to finish in this quarterfinal, spinning to her box with a clenched fist and a fierce ‘Allez!’ after just the sixth point of the match. Breaking serve twice in the first set, she was pegged back both times, but dug out a brilliant switch-hit backhand winner to force a tiebreak when all the momentum was with Kuznetsova. Up against it in the tiebreak after a sweet forehand winner from Kuznetsova, Bartoli proved more durable in the rallies and snatched it from under the nose of the 2009 champion with a fierce, cross-court backhand.
Kuznetsova never recovered from the loss of the breaker. Whenever she attained a winning position in a rally, the Russian couldn’t close out the point, reeling from the barrage coming from the other end. This was Bartoli’s show, bouncing like a bedlamite and furiously shadow-stroking between points, bounding around the court with the gait of an unruly puppy during them. After being broken when serving for the match the first time, the Frenchwoman pulled out yet another stunning backhand to take the 15-15 point—with Kuznetsova pressing—and ultimately take the match.
Sometimes more unfairly known as a purveyor of quirky press-conference statements than a great if unorthodox talent, Bartoli commanded the baseline against some of Kuznetsova’s best ball-striking and earned the standing ovation she received from her home crowd. Her highly effective game may be built out of seemingly irrational components—she may be the only tennis player to have a serve described as ‘technically incorrect’ on her own Wikipedia page—but her hunger to excel is palpable and her joy in victory infectious. If she can bring the same intensity to a confrontation with classical clay-court stylist Francesca Schiavone in the semifinals, she could be in her second Slam final. There may be no player who reminds us more clearly that nothing, however unlikely, is impossible.
—Hannah Wilks