By Dustin Dow
Enquirer staff writer

MASON - Marion Bartoli knew as soon as she swung a tennis racket Saturday afternoon that she wouldn't be able to play her semifinal match against top-seeded Lindsay Davenport.

A blister-like cyst on her right hand, suffered Friday night, forced Bartoli to withdraw from the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open just as she was playing some of her best tennis of the summer.

The fourth-seeded Bartoli had not lost a set during the tournament, but the blister had worsened overnight to the point that she could not properly swing her racket during her practice session.

"This morning I was so excited, but when I went to practice, I realized I couldn't make it," Bartoli said. "I couldn't even play against a girl of 11 years old. ... It's a shame because I was in the semifinal playing very good tennis. This is a tough day to me."

The injury occurred after Bartoli's singles quarterfinal victory against Laura Granville Friday night.

As Bartoli warmed up for her doubles match following the singles win, she noticed her hand slowly turning red. Two games into the match, there was blood, and she and partner Severine Beltrame withdrew from the match with Jill Craybas and Marlene Weingartner ahead 2-0 in the first set.

"I got in the same trouble two years ago before the French Open," Bartoli said. "I was able to recover because it happened on Friday and I didn't play until Tuesday. It was just not possible for me to play (Saturday). ... This was a tough decision to waste a semifinal opportunity."

DAVENPORT SIGNS: Fans who came out to the Lindner Family Tennis Center expecting to see Davenport still got to see her - just not on the tennis court.

When her semifinal match against Bartoli was canceled, Davenport, No. 4 in the WTA Tour rankings, conducted an autograph session for fans before the other semifinal match, between Amy Frazier and Vera Zvonareva.

DOUBLES: Four weeks ago, Emmanuelle Gagliardi and Anna-Lena Groenefeld were both in Stockholm, Sweden, each in need of a doubles partner.

Today, they are playing together in the doubles final. The Western & Southern is the second straight tournament in which the new teammates have reached the championship match.

"We have a lot of fun and it makes you play good," Groenefeld said.

After defeating Teryn Ashley and Granville 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals, Gagliardi and Groenefeld will play the winner of the match between Jill Craybas-Marlene Weingartner and the team of Elena Tatarkova and Meilen Tu today.

After the W&S Open, Gagliardi and Groenefeld plan to stay together at least until the U.S. Open at the end of August.

"We complete each other," Gagliardi said. "She makes things that I cannot do, and I help with other things."

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E-mail ddow@enquirer.com