Bartoli reaches 1st Paris Open final by beating Czech Republic's Zakopalova

It is the first time in five attempts that 27-year-old Bartoli, the second seed, has reached the final in her home tournament.

In Sunday's final she will face German ninth seed Angelique Kerber, who came from a set down to beat unseeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-4 in the other semi-final.

Having fought back from a set and 1-4 down in her quarter-final win over Italian seventh seed Roberta Vinci the day before, Bartoli displayed similar reserves of determination to overcome Zakopalova.

The Czech world number 51 led 5-2 and 40-15 in the first set but Bartoli saved two set points before storming back to win the set, with her opponent's resolve crumbling in a one-sided second set.

“I have troubled getting started!” said Bartoli afterwards.

“But when I was able to save those set points and win the first set, things got much better afterwards. I'm really happy.”

Bartoli reached the semi-finals at last year's French Open at nearby Roland Garros and is gunning for an eighth career title, her last having coming in Osaka last October.

She is also aiming to become the first French winner of the indoor tournament since Amelie Mauresmo in 2009.

World number 27 Kerber, who conquered top seed Maria Sharapova in Friday's quarter-finals, will be attempting to become the first German champion at the event since Steffi Graf in 1995.

It will be only the second final of the German's career, following her runner-up finish in Bogota in 2010.

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