BRISBANE, Australia -- Former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli was an easy quarterfinal winner Thursday at the WTA's season-opening Brisbane International tennis event.
The fourth-seeded Bartoli, of France, notched a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova at Queensland Tennis Centre.
Bartoli, who was the runner-up here two years ago, will meet German Andrea Petkovic in Friday's semifinals. Petkovic handled Aussie crowd favorite Jarmila Groth 6-3, 6-4 on Day 5.
The other semi will pit fifth-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova against unseeded Czech Petra Kvitova. Pavlyuchenkova outlasted Czech Lucie Safarova 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, while Kvitova erased Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 6-0, 6-4 at this hardcourt Australian Open tuneup.
This week's winner will earn $37,000.
