Bartoli shocks Henin; Venus reaches sixth Wimbledon final

Wimbledon, England (Sports Network) - In one of the biggest upsets in the history of women's tennis, 18th-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli stunned top-seeded and reigning world No. 1 Justine Henin to reach the women's final at Wimbledon. The upstart Bartoli will be opposed by three-time champion Venus Williams in Saturday's lucrative title match.
After getting leveled by the six-time Grand Slam event champion Henin in the opening set, Bartoli steadied her nerves to win the second and promptly throttled the two-time Wimbledon runner-up in the third set to record an improbable 1-6, 7-5, 6-1 decision in the second of Friday's semifinals on Centre Court.
Henin struggled mightily amid windy conditions on a roof-less Centre Court, while Bartoli, who plays two-fisted tennis from both sides, powered her way through the blustery conditions.
Bartoli charged out to a 5-0 lead in the final set, which ultimately came to a close when Henin sent one final forehand beyond the baseline to make her French counterpart one of the most unlikely of Wimbledon finalists.
The 22-year-old Bartoli prevailed in 1 hour, 55 minutes with the help of 30 unforced errors by Henin. The Belgian stalwart struck 10 more winners than the Frenchwoman (37-27), but Bartoli managed one more break of serve (6-5) in the amazing victory.
Bartoli competed in her first-ever Grand Slam semifinal on Friday and will now compete in her first major final on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Henin had been 2-0 lifetime against Bartoli, including an easy grass-court semifinal victory at Eastbourne just last month.
Henin was last year's Wimbledon runner-up to another Frenchwoman, Amelie Mauresmo. The Belgian star is now 2-3 in her career Wimbledon semis.
In addition to her runner-up finish here last year, Henin also lost in the 2001 Wimbledon finale, against Venus.
The previously high-flying Henin had won her last 12 Grand Slam matches, including a third straight and fourth overall French Open title last month.
Henin still needs Wimbledon to complete a career Golden Slam. She already owns Australian, French, U.S. Open and Olympic titles, not to mention a Fed Cup championship. She was trying to reach her sixth Grand Slam final in as many tries, as she appeared in all four major finals last year, skipped this year's Aussie Open and returned to the French Open final last month.
The diminutive Henin had won her last 16 matches on tour, including a title in Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon '07 commenced.
Meanwhile, the former world No. 1 Venus secured a berth in her sixth career Wimbledon final by beating sixth-seeded Serbian Ana Ivanovic at the storied All England Club.
The 23rd-seeded Williams doused the French Open runner-up Ivanovic in 6-2, 6-4 fashion on Day 11 of this fortnight. Williams, now a flawless 6-0 in her semis here, is now a perfect 3-0 in her career against Ivanovic.
An elated Williams moved on in 1 hour, 25 minutes by committing a mere 11 unforced errors, compared to 24 for a shaky Ivanovic. The American also piled up four service breaks, compared to only one for her overmatched Serbian counterpart.
The 27-year-old Williams is now 50-7 lifetime at the All England Club. She owns five major titles, including Wimbledon championships in 2000, 2001 and 2005, and was the 2002 and 2003 runner-up here to her younger sister Serena.
Venus is 5-6 in her major finals, with her last trip to a Grand Slam title bout resulting in a victory right here two years ago. The veteran star owns 34 titles on the WTA Tour, including one in Memphis earlier this season.
Williams and Bartoli will meet for the first in their careers here on Saturday.
Bartoli, who had never advanced beyond the fourth round at a major before this week, owns just three titles on the circuit, with all three coming last year. She was a runner-up at an event in Prague earlier this season.