Bartoli inspired by Sampras to beat Dementieva

PARIS, June 1 (Reuters) Marion Bartoli took a leaf out of Pete Sampras's book to record her best showing at a grand slam tournament today.

Local hope Bartoli reached the fourth round of the French Open for the first time after upstaging former finalist Elena Dementieva 6-2 6-4.

''At the beginning of this year, my level was not what I expected it to be. So I followed Pete Sampras's example because he was never one of the favourites on clay,'' said the 22-year-old, who counts hard courts as her favourite surface.

''But one year, he managed to win against guys like (Sergi) Bruguera and get into the semi-final. So I thought, if he could do it, and if he could defeat claycourters, I should similarly try and prepare for clay and see what the results are.

''I practised sliding, drop shots, I ran for two hours in the morning, and I played up to four to five hours per day on clay courts to improve my performance. And today, it paid off.'' Sampras captured a record 14 grand slam titles during his distinguished career but never conquered his claycourt demons during 13 visits to Roland Garros.

His run to the semi-finals in 1996 proved to be his best effort in Paris, and his failure in France prevented him from completing his collection of major crowns.

Bartoli's decision to follow the American's lead gave her the confidence to pick apart Dementieva's fragile serve.

The 13th seed, runner-up to fellow Russian Anastasia Myskina in 2004, never looked comfortable during the 68-minute contest and slid out after scooping a forehand into the net.

Bartoli will next face fourth seed Jelena Jankovic for a place in the quarter-finals.

REUTERS PDS BST0119