Marion Bartoli is a fighter.

The 2008 Bank of the West Classic finalist may not have been the most famous (Serena Williams), the oldest (Ai Sugiyama, 33), the youngest (Michelle Larcher de Brito, 15), the tallest (Akgul Amanmuradova, 6’3”) nor the slimmest (Daniela Hantuchova) competitor at the event.

But, boy, is she a fighter.

Like her idol, Monica Seles, Bartoli plays two-handed on both sides, a strategic relic of a prior age, uncommon in an era of hard hitters and crowd-pleasers.

In the quarterfinals against Anna Chakvetadze, the crowd openly cheered on Anna as the defending champion of the Classic.

Bartoli easily defeated her 6-3, 6-4.

In the semifinals against Ai Sugiyama, the crowd backed her opponent with rallying calls for Sugiyama.

Bartoli handled her 6-3, 6-4 on national television.

Finally, in the finals against Aleksandra Wozniak, where Bartoli was supposed to be the favorite, the crowd cheered on “Wozi,” looking for a feel-good upset.

And finally, Bartoli’s suit of armor cracked.

To look at her on the court, Bartoli had run out of steam at the finish line in her first finals appearance since her Cinderella run to the 2007 Wimbledon finals. And who could blame her?

Against Chakvetadze, everyone knew Anna, but few knew to call out Marion’s name in support.

By the end of the tournament, cheers for Marion could finally be heard, scattered across the stadium.

Ever since her appearance at the Wimbledon finals, Bartoli has struggled mightily to reclaim her place in the spotlight. After Sunday’s loss to Wozniak, Bartoli confided that she had been suffering symptoms of mononucleosis in the earlier part of the year. She had essentially been “Federer-ed.”

We all saw how the disease impacted Federer’s game, supposed to be one of the best of our time. Imagine what it could do to a rising star such as Bartoli.

“Beginning of the year, I got some illness so I was really, really tired every single day,” Bartoli said. “It really takes all of your energy. I was feeling really, really tired.”

Instead of hiding behind excuses, Bartoli played through the fatigue and has shown glimpses of reclaiming her Wimbledon form.

“It just makes me a stronger player because when you’re out of energy and have to struggle all the time, you know your limit and you’re pushing your limit further,” Bartoli said. “I’m waking up now on certain days, fit and ready to play.”

Sure, Bartoli isn’t the flashy type, but her showing at this year’s Classic has earned her the respect and recognition of many fans.

Her best showings prior to this year were a quartet of second-round finishes — marks unbefitting of a Top-20 player.

This year was different for the 24-year-old warrior.

With her two-handed shots, Bartoli ground down her opponents with surprising power at times. Even her slightly odd form proved effective in holding serve — something she has struggled with in the past.

And finally, in an event ravaged by numerous injuries, Bartoli would not let her injury disappoint her fans.

Even after calling a medical timeout, Bartoli continued and played out her match instead of giving up.

“I just wanted to give the fans a complete match and, even if I knew I was unable to win it, it was just better for everyone to try and keep going to the end,” Bartoli said.

The fans got what they paid for in the end.

But over the week, perhaps it was more than her match-play that won over the crowd. After defeating Chakvetadze, Bartoli stayed back to sign autographs for almost every person waiting for her, despite just finishing her upset of the defending champ.

After punching her ticket to the finals on Saturday evening, instead of rushing back to her hotel to recuperate for the finals in less than 12 hours, Bartoli took time to play tennis with the Bank of the West mascot armed with an oversized racket.

Bartoli played along and “lost” in a rally to the bear as part of a promotional giveaway for a lucky fan.

And, amidst her busy schedule, Bartoli took time off to visit patients at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital on campus.

During her visit, Bartoli did arts and crafts with patients, posed for pictures, signed autographs and gave out Bank of the West teddy bears. It made sense that someone who had fought through an exhausting illness might be able to inspire others to overcome theirs as well.

“It’s really disappointing for me,” she said following her finals loss. “I was able to play some really great tennis to be able to be in the final. I thought I really had a shot to win this Tier II event. But you know it happens; each day is different. And some days you can suffer, which was the case for me today, and some days are going to be better. But overall I think I just had a great week.”

And by anyone’s estimation, it certainly was.