Saturday, February 9, 2008

Bartoli injured--again

Marion Bartoli won the first set of her Open Gaz de France semifinal, but during the second set, she sustained a hip injury. Bartoli received treatment for it, but was never the same again. Her opponent, Anna Chakvetadze, has moved on to the finals with a three-set victory, and Bartoli's fans (and, one would hope, Bartoli) are left with one more injury and more dashed hopes.

Many people have brought up the possibility that some of Bartoli's coach's unorthodox drills could be what makes Bartoli's body so fragile. I don't know if that is so, but it does seem possible that over-drilling could be causing the problem. Bartoli's training regimen is strict and excessive, and she needs to question the widsom of continuing it. For a while last year, Bartoli escaped from the injury cycle that has plagued her throughout her career, but now she appears to be returning to it. Every time she gets to a quarterfinal or semifinal, I cringe, just waiting for the injury. Chakvetadze def. Bartoli, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0

In the other semifinal, Agnez Szavay defeated Elena Dementieva, 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. Dementieva broke Szavay at 4-4 in the final set, served for the match, and was broken back. Szavay then held and broke again, to give her a slot in the finals.

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