Ivanovic and Sharapova advance into last four

Viral infection

Marion Bartoli of France is checked by medical staff during her quarter-final match against Ana Ivanovic of Serbia at the Indian Wells ATP tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, March 15, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Bartoli was evaluated by doctors courtside when trailing 1-2 in the second set and said she had succumbed to the viral infection that has already forced eight players to withdraw from Indian Wells.

"The more the match was going on the worse it was getting for me," the 27-year-old added. "I was having a lot of joint pains and feeling shaky and very cold.

"I just tried my hardest under the circumstances, tried to not to retire during the match and still show everyone that I could complete the match," said the Frenchwoman, who has beaten Ivanovic three times in eight career meetings.

Maria Kirilenko of Russia serves to compatriot Maria Sharapova during their quarter-final match at the Indian Wells WTA tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, March 15, 2012. [Photo/Agencies]

Sharapova, who had been the only player left in the draw yet to drop a set, initially struggled on her backhand and was broken twice in the first six games before losing the opening set to Kirilenko in 44 minutes.

She leveled the match after battling through a tight second set, where Kirilenko was penalised a point for hindrance after tapping her racket on the ground three times, and broke her opponent in the second and fourth games of the third to race 4-0 up.

Though Sharapova lost serve in the fifth when she pushed a backhand wide, she broke Kirilenko in the eighth when her opponent double-faulted to seal victory in three hours, five minutes.

"I tried to keep my head up high today even though I wasn't playing my best tennis," said Sharapova, who was beaten by Kirilenko when they last played in the first round of the 2010 Australian Open.

"I was just trying to find my rhythm a little bit on everything, movement and playing wise. Little by little, I started feeling better. Towards the end I really got my groove back, so that was good."