LONDON, June 28 (Reuters) - German wildcard Sabine Lisicki added another gripping chapter to her remarkable Wimbledon story when she recovered from wasting three match points to beat Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-7 6-1 under the Centre Court roof in an enthralling quarter-final on
Tuesday.
Both players lived up to it too, exchanging ferociously powerful groundstrokes and mixing in crowd-pleasing drop-shots in a high-quality encounter.
Lisicki, who beat French Open champion Li Na in the second round, was on top from the start and won the first set convincingly.
The ninth-seeded Bartoli, who knocked out defending champion Serena Williams on Monday, broke in the fourth game of the second set but Lisicki, helped by two outrageous baseline drop shots, broke straight back.
Lisicki broke again and served for victory at 5-4 but she was far too tentative and Bartoli saved them all.
In a remarkable tiebreak, 10 of the 11 points went against serve but Bartoli, who put every ounce of her energy into her powerful groundstrokes, took it 7-4.
Lisicki, who had to be carried off court on a stretcher after wasting a match point and losing to Vera Zvonareva at this year’s French Open, kept her mind and body under control and quickly broke to lead 2-0 in the third.
Bartoli, dripping with sweat in the humid conditions, gradually began to wilt and Lisicki ruthlessly rammed home her advantage to complete victory in two hours 21 minutes.
“I was very disappointed with myself when I played at 5-4 I missed easily, I wasn’t really decided to go for it,” she said in a televised interview.
“But I felt I was the better player today and I knew I just had to focus and fight again in the third set to win it.
“I really can’t explain how I feel. I was just such a tough route back (from injury) and it’s so wonderful to be standing on Centre Court which I love so much.
“I did a very good job to get here, I’m getting better with each match and I have absolutely nothing to lose.”
Lisicki will play fifth seed Maria Sharapova or Dominika Cibulkova in the last four.
Tuesday.
The 21-year-old, out of action for five months last year with an horrific ankle injury, became the second wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semis after China’s Zheng Jie in 2008 and the first German to do so since Steffi Graf in 1999.
Playing to a backdrop of thunder and lightning with rain hammering down on the closed roof so loud that it drowned out the sound of ball on racket, it was a dramatic occasion.Both players lived up to it too, exchanging ferociously powerful groundstrokes and mixing in crowd-pleasing drop-shots in a high-quality encounter.
Lisicki, who beat French Open champion Li Na in the second round, was on top from the start and won the first set convincingly.
The ninth-seeded Bartoli, who knocked out defending champion Serena Williams on Monday, broke in the fourth game of the second set but Lisicki, helped by two outrageous baseline drop shots, broke straight back.
Lisicki broke again and served for victory at 5-4 but she was far too tentative and Bartoli saved them all.
In a remarkable tiebreak, 10 of the 11 points went against serve but Bartoli, who put every ounce of her energy into her powerful groundstrokes, took it 7-4.
Lisicki, who had to be carried off court on a stretcher after wasting a match point and losing to Vera Zvonareva at this year’s French Open, kept her mind and body under control and quickly broke to lead 2-0 in the third.
Bartoli, dripping with sweat in the humid conditions, gradually began to wilt and Lisicki ruthlessly rammed home her advantage to complete victory in two hours 21 minutes.
“I was very disappointed with myself when I played at 5-4 I missed easily, I wasn’t really decided to go for it,” she said in a televised interview.
“But I felt I was the better player today and I knew I just had to focus and fight again in the third set to win it.
“I really can’t explain how I feel. I was just such a tough route back (from injury) and it’s so wonderful to be standing on Centre Court which I love so much.
“I did a very good job to get here, I’m getting better with each match and I have absolutely nothing to lose.”
Lisicki will play fifth seed Maria Sharapova or Dominika Cibulkova in the last four.
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