Bartoli, Morigami advance to Prague Open final

Prague, Czech Republicq:

Top-seeded Marion Bartoli reached her first final of the year by beating Czech qualifier Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday in the semifinals of the Prague Open.

The 24th-ranked Frenchwoman will face sixth-seeded Akiko Morigami of Japan in the final.

Morigami advanced to her second career final after unseeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus retired due to a groin injury when the Japanese was leading 6-3, 4-5.

Bartoli won the previous two matches against Morigami - in Los Angeles in 2004 and last year in Seoul.

"I think the key for me today was to put a lot of first serve in," said Bartoli, whose first-serve percentage was 82 percent. "That's what I did. I think I played well today."

Bartoli has recovered from an abdominal injury that forced her to retire in the quarterfinals of the Estoril Open in Portugal last week and so far has not lost a set in the tournament played on clay.

Bartoli will play in her fifth career final Sunday and has won three WTA titles - all last year - in Auckland, Tokyo and Quebec.

The 60th-ranked Morigami has yet to win a WTA title. It will be her second final since Cincinnati in 2005.