Bartoli never dies

Women's Singles: Belief, conviction and 007 gave Marion Bartoli wings yesterday. The 22-year-old, the third-ranked player in France, soared on Centre Court, came back from 6-1 down and set about breaking the calculating but occasionally fragile heart of the French Open champion and world number one, Justine Henin.

Bartoli, ranked 19, now meets Venus Williams, ranked 31; they will be the lowliest players to meet in a Wimbledon final since the inception of computer ranking 1975.

At many stages during her almost miraculous comeback from a first set that imploded for her through nerves and uneasy, twitchy play, you feared the applause of the crowd throughout the final games would send Bartoli crashing down to earth. But she found salvation in a most unlikely place, up in "celebrity squares", the guests' box.

"I saw Pierce Brosnan in the crowd. He's one of my favourite actors," said the Frenchwoman to a gobsmacked audience.

"So I said to myself it is not possible to play so badly in front of him. Because he was watching me and I was playing so badly, it was unbelievable. Pierce, come back tomorrow."

For a spy whose treatment of women is at best ambiguous, James Bond nonetheless drew Bartoli back into a match most believed had quickly slipped beyond her reach.

But it was Henin who visibly wilted in the face of her opponent's double-fisted backhand and forehand, employed throughout the second and third sets totally without fear.

Henin, crucially, hesitated. Instead of regaining control of the match like great champions do, she permitted Bartoli, not known as a great mover around court, to pepper her side of the net with missionary zeal.

"I don't understand what happened," said Henin. "I didn't take my chances and the match turned over. Then I didn't feel fresh enough to compete with her in the third set.

"She was never scared of taking the match and I had the feeling I didn't know what to do at certain points. It has been pretty hard for me today. I am very disappointed."

Most people tuned out somewhat as Henin sped to her 23-minute first set. But it was then the match began to take shape. Henin began by breaking serve and when Bartoli broke back immediately, and continued in that vein, it was Henin who shed four of her service games to Bartoli's three for 7-5. A good trade for France.

Then Henin presented her fragile side and Bartoli's busy, fighting game bullied the number one around the court. Normally the choreography of such events is that cracks begin to appear in the less-experienced player.

A double fault becomes a catastrophe, a missed volley devastation. A world of horror is created in which every error is obscenely magnified, every thought jaundiced.

But Bartoli managed it wonderfully. So engaged in the industry of winning every point, she never once looked over her shoulder as Henin became more dissolute in her play, more stressed as she watched helplessly as the match vanished in front of her.

The winner's final act in the upheaval was to thank Henin by allowing her just one game in the third set for 6-1.

"For the moment I don't realise what I'm doing in this tournament right now," said Bartoli. "Last week I saw my draw in Eastbourne and I was worried about (Flavia) Pennetta and now I'm in the final. The first set I was quite nervous, so I tried to forget about who I was playing and just tried to forget the first set."

Bartoli has never played Venus Williams but has faced her sister Serena. Perhaps there she will have been given a taste of the family style at least, if not really knowing what is in store today.

Williams will be in two minds about what she faces. Often the unknown holds more dread, but the hard evidence is that the tempest in Williams has not blown out.

It may not have begun life until half way through the tournament, but Venus has gathered the sort of energy cold, dry, polar air meeting warm, moist, tropical air usually generates.

At some time around Tuesday, she became a squalling force of nature, and having a home in Florida, otherwise Tornado Alley, the three-time Wimbledon winner is surely familiar with supercells.

Williams continued to play her controlled game yesterday, and even with the heavy-hitting 19-year-old Ana Ivanovic at the other side of the net, intent on hitting the ball equally hard, that semi-final ended in two sets amid a storm of big ground-strokes and bigger serves.

The American set upon her Serbian opponent with entirely destructive intentions. The French Open finalist, who can counterpunch most of the other players in the draw, was simply outvolumed, outhit, outsized. Williams's serving was cast iron and held as Ivanovic bent and creaked and finally broke, the final score 6-2, 6-3.

"I think it's all about doing the right things at the right times, obviously believing in myself," said Williams.