Marion Bartoli outshines Sabine Lisicki to capture Wimbledon’s crown – Tennis News
French star, Marion Bartoli, toppled the gorgeous German, Sabine Lisicki, in straight sets at the title match of Wimbledon Championships 2013 on Saturday. She jolted down a 6-1, 6-4 victory against the 23rd seed to grab his first
Major title at this prestigious grass court event.
Seeded 15th in this event, Bartoli showed top notch skills to overpower the German in their fifth encounter. The Frenchwoman lost in her past three meetings with Lisicki, including their last encounter in the quarter-finals of
this Major Grand Slam event two years ago. However, Bartoli avenged her losses and lowered trail in the head-to-head series by 2-3 against the 23-year-old after earning this limelight.
The Frenchwoman stated in a courtside interview after stealing the show, "Honestly I still can't believe it. I've dreamed about this moment for so long. For me, winning Wimbledon is beyond my wildest dreams, let alone with an ace
- but I've been practicing my serve for so long, I guess I saved it for the best moment! I'm so happy to be holding this trophy. This has been my dream since I was six years old."
Bartoli suffered the first blow in the opening game to trail at 0-1. However, she went berserk after that, winning six straight games and bagging the opener with a breadstick.
The 28-year-old kept momentum rolling in the following set. After the German held her opening serve, Bartoli unleashed flurry of groundstrokes again and leaped to a 5-1 lead. Despite losing her serve in the eighth game, the Frenchwoman
stayed focused and subsequently sealed the set with a 6-4 win.
Overall, the French number one clobbered a slightly higher first serve share of 67 per cent in contrast with her rival’s 65 per cent and spectacularly marked 31 out of 39 points on it.
With this victory, Bartoli climbed to the seventh spot in the WTA Premier Rankings and bagged the prize money. The Frenchwoman secured a final berth at this Grand Slam event six years ago but went home empty handed. However, she
perfected her game this time around and stole the show.
The Frenchwoman confronted Lisicki after the match, "I was there in '07 and missed it, and I know how it feels. Sabine, believe me you will be there again. I have no doubt about it."
Bartoli winning the crown was the longest wait for the first Grand Slam title in Open Era. This was her 47th Grand Slam appearance.
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