Italy's [ Images ] Sara Errani ended the French resistance at the Pan Pacific Open, rallying to defeat ninth seed Marion Bartoli [ Images ] 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the last eight of the WTA premier five event on Wednesday.
The sixth seed finally overcame Bartoli after two hours and 22 minutes, clinching victory with a crunching forehand her opponent could only dump into the net.
"I'm a bit tired but I have lots of motivation to keep winning," said Errani, who has captured titles in Acapulco, Barcelona [ Images ], Budapest and Palermo this year.
"It's been an amazing year but I still have to qualify for the (season-ending) Championships."
Errani set up a quarter-final against Russia's [ Images ] Nadia Petrova [ Images ], the 17th seed battling to a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory over Croatia's [ Images ] Petra Martic.
Last year's US Open [ Images ] champion Samantha Stosur [ Images ], seeded eighth, also booked her place in the last eight with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova [ Images ].
Nine of the world's top 10 women are competing at the event, with US Open champion Serena Williams [ Images ] the only absentee among the WTA's elite.
Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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