EASTBOURNE (Reuters) - Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska beat second seed Marion Bartoli 7-5 6-3 in a hard-fought match to join Nadia Petrova in the final of the Eastbourne International tournament on Friday.

Russian Petrova, the eighth seed, produced a storming finish to defeat Australian Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-3 in the first semi-final at the $600,000 grasscourt tournament.

The fourth-seeded Radwanska should provide an interesting opponent for Petrova on Saturday after coming back from a set down to beat the Russian in the fourth round of the Australian Open in January.

France's Bartoli was Wimbledon runner-up last year but has been struggling with tendonitis in her wrist in recent weeks and had problems with her first serve on Friday.

At the end of a first set interrupted for just over an hour by rain on a chilly day at the English seaside, she double-faulted on Radwanska's fourth set point. Ever the fighter, Bartoli broke her opponent at the start of the second set but was broken back straight away.

After another exchange of breaks, she again double-faulted on the third break point of the eighth game. Though Bartoli saved one match point in the following game with a crosscourt winner, Radwanska took victory with a winning volley.

Radwanska, 19, said Bartoli's flat, low shots made her a difficult opponent. "I was playing on my knees all the time so it was very hard," she told a news conference.

Bartoli said she had failed to make the most of her chances but was happy with her game. "Even when you play well sometimes you lose," she said.

RAIN DISRUPTION

Petrova surrendered only two points in the final two games against doubles specialist Stosur and finished off with a thundering ace.

"That was a boom-boom ending," she told a courtside interviewer. "I am very happy that we had the new balls and it really helped me to finish off in a beautiful way."

Rain twice halted the first set. The second suspension came immediately after Petrova had broken Stosur to lead 4-3 and seemed to unsettle the Australian.

When the match resumed, Stosur, who returned to tennis in April after seven months out with serious illness, earned only one point in the next two games and surrendered the set on another break.

Petrova, a semi-finalist here last year before having to pull out with injury, began making errors at the start of the second set and had to save two break points in the first game.

Luckily for her, Stosur, who has won 22 doubles titles but none in singles, was even more error-prone and failed to convert two more break points in the seventh game.

Petrova has won seven WTA Tour titles but has yet to triumph on grass. "It is one of my goals to have titles on all surfaces," she said.

(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)