Serena reign ends with Lisicki defeat
Source: Agencies |
July 2, 2013, Tuesday
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GERMAN Sabine Lisicki sent another seismic shockwave through Wimbledon yesterday when she dumped five-time champion Serena Williams out of the tournament with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 fourth-round upset.
Top seed Williams, the overwhelming favorite for the title with her chief rivals already out, appeared to have turned the match around when she led 3-0 in the decider but Lisicki, the 2011 semifinalist, rallied with a gripping fightback on Centre Court.
Lisicki refused to capitulate and after breaking to lead 5-4, the resilient 23rd seed secured victory on her second match point to set up a last-eight meeting with Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
"I am still shaking, I am so happy," Lisicki told the BBC as Williams followed second and third seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova out of a championship that is confounding expectations.
"Serena played a fantastic match, she is such a tough opponent. It is an amazing feeling to win this match. This is such a special place for me and the crowd were brilliant to me.
"I gave it everything I had, I fought for every single point to try to win it somehow. I'm not thinking about the next match yet."
After dropping just 11 games in the first week, her surprise exit, which mirrored those of former men's champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal last week, ended Williams's win streak at 34 matches and it was only her fourth loss in the last 76.
Lisicki took advantage of a somewhat sluggish Williams to seize the first set, her strong serve and fizzing groundstokes at times leaving the multiple grand slam winner rooted to the spot. The American, aghast, annoyed and berating herself after each error, desperately searched for the missing aggression and from 0-1 down in the second, reeled off nine games in a row.
Also, Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer reached the quarterfinals for the second successive year while Jerzy Janowicz and Lukasz Kubot set-up an all-Polish showdown for a place in the last four.
Ferrer fired 53 winners in his 6-7(6/8), 7-6(7/3), 6-1, 6-1 win over Croatia's unseeded Ivan Dodig and goes on to tackle either Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro or Andreas Seppi of Italy.
The 31-year-old Ferrer, who was defeated in the French Open final by compatriot Rafael Nadal last month, will be playing in his seventh consecutive grand slam quarterfinal.
Janowicz, the 24th seed, defeated 31-year-old Jurgen Melzer, who was hoping to become the first Austrian man to reach the last eight.
The 22-year-old Janowicz's 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win was based on 16 aces and 34 winners.
Top seed Williams, the overwhelming favorite for the title with her chief rivals already out, appeared to have turned the match around when she led 3-0 in the decider but Lisicki, the 2011 semifinalist, rallied with a gripping fightback on Centre Court.
Lisicki refused to capitulate and after breaking to lead 5-4, the resilient 23rd seed secured victory on her second match point to set up a last-eight meeting with Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
"I am still shaking, I am so happy," Lisicki told the BBC as Williams followed second and third seeds Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova out of a championship that is confounding expectations.
"Serena played a fantastic match, she is such a tough opponent. It is an amazing feeling to win this match. This is such a special place for me and the crowd were brilliant to me.
"I gave it everything I had, I fought for every single point to try to win it somehow. I'm not thinking about the next match yet."
After dropping just 11 games in the first week, her surprise exit, which mirrored those of former men's champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal last week, ended Williams's win streak at 34 matches and it was only her fourth loss in the last 76.
Lisicki took advantage of a somewhat sluggish Williams to seize the first set, her strong serve and fizzing groundstokes at times leaving the multiple grand slam winner rooted to the spot. The American, aghast, annoyed and berating herself after each error, desperately searched for the missing aggression and from 0-1 down in the second, reeled off nine games in a row.
Also, Spanish fourth seed David Ferrer reached the quarterfinals for the second successive year while Jerzy Janowicz and Lukasz Kubot set-up an all-Polish showdown for a place in the last four.
Ferrer fired 53 winners in his 6-7(6/8), 7-6(7/3), 6-1, 6-1 win over Croatia's unseeded Ivan Dodig and goes on to tackle either Argentine eighth seed Juan Martin del Potro or Andreas Seppi of Italy.
The 31-year-old Ferrer, who was defeated in the French Open final by compatriot Rafael Nadal last month, will be playing in his seventh consecutive grand slam quarterfinal.
Janowicz, the 24th seed, defeated 31-year-old Jurgen Melzer, who was hoping to become the first Austrian man to reach the last eight.
The 22-year-old Janowicz's 3-6, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win was based on 16 aces and 34 winners.
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