Marion Bartoli, one of the best grass court players in the world, begins her assault on the DFS Classic title today with the intention of doing nothing other than winning the tournament.

While most players refuse to look further than the next match, or even the next point in some cases, the Frenchwoman, No 10 in the Sony Ericsson rankings and top seed at Edgbaston Priory, feels she must at least reach Sunday’s final if she is to justify her billing.

She begins her campaign on Centre Court this afternoon against the Czech Republic’s Petra Cetkovska in a second round match that marks the beginning of a grass court season that served her so well last year.

Consecutive semi-finals in Birmingham and Eastbourne in 2007 provided the perfect springboard from which the 23-year-old surged through the draw at Wimbledon to reach her first Grand Slam final.

Although she lost the showpiece to Venus Williams, she took the scalps of Jelena Jankovic and Justine Henin along the way and established a reputation as one of the most dangerous operators on the surface with her heavy slice, quick footwork and ability to strike the rising ball.

Bartoli’s status as one of the favourites to prevail in Birmingham does not hang heavy on her shoulders. “It’s really good to be back, there are happy memories,” Bartoli said. “I am feeling my momentum and rhythm on grass. I achieved some big results last year and I hope to do the same again and even better at Wimbledon this year.

“I am seeded No 1 here and I expect to win it. I will try to play as many matches as possible and try to get my rhythm back before Wimbledon. As the first seed you are expected to at least be in the final.

“Expectations have changed but I am used to it since Wimbledon last year. Every time I come into a tournament everyone expects me to be in the final or win it, the press has been quite hard with me if I don’t do that every time.

“The press in France don’t understand why I am not winning the US Open. They say ‘What? You have been in the final of Wimbledon but not at the US Open’.”

The criticism reached something of a crescendo at her home Grand Slam last month when, seeded nine, she was defeated in her rain interrupted first round clash with Australian outsider Casey Dellacqua.

“The press were really hard on me after Roland Garros but I am used to it so it’s not a big problem,” she said. “I am hard enough to know it is not going to happen for me every week.

“Even Roger Federer isn’t winning every week. I am going to have some losses so I am just going to have to come back on the practice courts and train as hard as I can every day. With this kind of attitude I will go far.

“It is hard to compare yourself from one year to the next but I am more experienced now at the highest level. I have played some big matches against the top players like the Williams sisters, Justine [Henin], [Jelena] Jankovic and I played the championship at the end of last year. This year I will have more pressure but I will try to hang in and do my best.”

Which should easily be good enough to take her through to a final with second favourite Nicole Vaidisova, who also lost in the first round at the French and is anxious to recapture her form of last year.

The 19-year-old has had a difficult 2008 and split with her stepfather who had coached her since the age of eight to hook up with Tim Henman’s former mentor David Felgate.

Katie O’Brien and Naomi Cavaday will continue the unfeasibly good week for home players against qualifiers Yaroslava Shevdova and Sunitha Rao respectively. The British rivals will be bidding to join compatriot Melanie South in the third round.

O’Brien starts on Centre Court at 11am while Cavaday takes on her Indian opponent second on Court One.