Bartoli wins 3-hour thriller in Charleston

Vera Dushevina's facial expression never changed in the three hours she faced Marion Bartoli on the main court of the Family Circle Cup today. Dushevina, up against one of the hardest hitters on the tour, refused to give Bartoli the pace she so likes, and at times confounded the Frenchwoman with her patience and changes of ball speed.

Fans knew they were in for something special when the first game of the match lasted 21 minutes. Dushevina was broken in that game, and Bartoli went on to win the set 6-2, but Dushevina was far from finished. At the end of 3 hours and 4 minutes, Bartoli emerged the victor in the 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 battle.

Bartoli talked afterwards about how her ability to fight on the court gets her through tough matches like the one she played today. "Overall, even though I didn't play my best, of course, I think it's great for me to kind of go through those matches and mentally stay tough and still be able to win a three-hour battle," she said.

Bartoli also talked about how her 2011 Australian Open injury toughened her mentally. She had to leave Australia  and return home to recover:

"I couldn't go up and down, and I have a four-level house, only stairs, and I couldn't go down the stairs. So I had to stay in one level and stay there for two weeks laying on the couch, couldn't do anything. And it was during the Australian Open, so every time I was switching on the TV, which was the Australian Open, so I was keeping switching off because I just couldn't look at the matches.

"And I remember I felt so sad, and mentally it was so tough for me that when I had the chance to step back on the court, I didn't want to leave. It makes me so much stronger, and sometimes when I go through some rough patches during the matches, I just keep remember those hard times, and it helps me to just keeping going, keeping going...."

Vera Dushevina