Marion Bartoli has won her first WTA title in over two years after beating Li Na 6-4 6-3 to win the Monterrey Open in Mexico.
Frenchwoman scores first WTA success since 2006
Marion Bartoli has won her first WTA title in over two years after beating Li Na 6-4 6-3 to win the Monterrey Open in Mexico.
The success was the Frenchwoman's fourth WTA title in all, her last coming in Quebec City in late 2006.
The world number 13 lost all four of her subsequent finals prior to Sunday's, including Wimbledon in 2007.
Seeded second for the tournament, Bartoli overcame the strong service game of her opponent to triumph and claimed six break points in a match lasting one hour and 21 minutes.
Playing in her first final in 14 months after returning from injury, Li's downfall was the number of double faults - eight - she conceded.
Li appeared strong when she took a 4-2 lead in the first set prior to going 30-15 up in her next service game.
But she then lost three consecutive points in a row - two coming from double faults.
Bartoli took control and won eight of the next nine games against her Chinese opponent.
She held serve at 5-3 in the second set, then broke Li at love to complete the victory.
"I feel really good about how I played the whole week," Bartoli said. "I had some tough matches, not just today but also in the semi-finals. They were both two sets but tough."
Li, currently ranked 53rd, is a former top-20 player coming back from a right knee injury which kept her out of the Australian Open.
She beat top seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland in the first round.
