Tennis-Safarova marches into French Open semis

(Adds details, quotes, byline) By Pritha Sarkar PARIS, June 2 (Reuters) - Lucie Safarova and her belting backhand proved a potent weapon at the French Open on Tuesday as the Czech bulldozed her way into the semi-finals with a 7-6 (3) 6-3 win over Spain's Garbine Muguruza. A day after knocking out 2014 champion Maria Sharapova, the 13th seed weathered the gusting winds swirling through Court Suzanne Lenglen and the powerful groundstrokes of her opponent to reach the last four in Paris for the first time. A backhand crosscourt winner from Safarova ended a high-quality first set and she wrapped up victory with another blazing backhand down the line. Safarova, bidding to become the first left-hander to land the women's title at Roland Garros since Monica Seles in 1992, will face 2008 champion Ana Ivanovic for a place in Saturday's final. "I am excited and ready," a beaming Safarova said courtside. Muguruza was given tips on how to succeed in Paris by Aranxta Sanchez-Vicario but any hopes of emulating the 1989, 1994 and 1998 triumph of her illustrious compatriot disappeared in the swirling winds that periodically turned the court into a red dust bowl. The ball tosses were a challenge, the pounding winners that whizzed over the net were relentless and in the end the only thing that separated the two warriors in the first set was Safarova's gutsy decision to go for the lines. Normally known for her firecracker forehand, it was her two-handed reverse shot that made the mark on Tuesday. She threaded a backhand down the line to end a spellbinding 26-shot rally to go 3-1 up in the tiebreak before producing another blinder on set point. With that Muguruza's shoulders sagged and fortunes waned and no amount of cheering from Sanchez-Vicario in the stands could lift her spirits. The 21-year-old, who had sensationally handed Serena Williams her heaviest ever grand slam defeat only 12 months ago, lost her fighting instincts, allowing Safarova to storm through the second set. The Czech pumped her fists and arched backwards in her moment of triumph but the piercing look in her eyes said "I ain't done yet". As the only woman left in the draw who has yet to drop a set, the Czech Republic could be on the verge of welcoming their first Roland Garros champion since Hana Mandlikova's victory in 1981. (Editing by Toby Davis)