Wimbledon entered the twilight zone on
Monday as Serena Williams became the latest high-profile champion to fade into
oblivion at a tournament where reputations and star status are counting for
nothing.
Just when it
seemed that this year’s grasscourt major had exhausted its quota of shocks with
grand slam champions Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova and Victoria
Azarenka all blotted out of the draw by the second round, along came Sabine Lisicki.
The German,
playing a brand of fearless tennis that many dream of but only the brave
produce, jettisoned the American holder 6-2 1-6 6-4 to leave Wimbledon gasping
in disbelief once again.
Lisicki also
struggled to catch her breath.
“I’m still
shaking, I’m so happy,” gulped a tearful Lisicki, who fell flat on her stomach
in her moment of triumph. “It’s amazing; I love this court so much. It’s
unbelievable!”
It certainly was
unbelievable because even before the first-week exodus of big names, Williams
had been the overwhelming favourite to win a sixth title having triumphed at
three of the last four majors.
She walked on
court armed with the knowledge that she was on a 34-match winning streak and
had suffered only two losses all year.
That record failed
to salvage her Wimbledon dreams and her exit left world number four Agnieszka
Radwanska as the highest seed and Czech Petra Kvitova as the only former
champion still alive in the women’s draw.
Eighth seed
Kvitova dispatched Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 7-6(5)6-3 to set up a
last-eight meeting Belgian Kirsten Flipkens.
William’s downfall
also meant that Sloane Stephens was the only American, man or woman, to reach
the quarter-finals.
The
20-year-old lived up to her billing as the next generation of American tennis
by beating Puerto Rican teenager Monica Puig 4-6 7-5 6-1.
At the other end
of the age spectrum, Li Na proved that 31-year-olds can still do damage on
grass as she narrowly missed out on dishing out the dreaded double bagel during
a 6-2 6-0 thrashing of Italian 11th seed Roberta Vinci.
Day seven at
Wimbledon is unique as it is the only one of the four grand slams to schedule
16 fourth-round showdowns – both in men and women’s singles – on the same day.
But after a week
of seismic shocks decimated the draw and left it shorn of house-hold names, it
was a case of guess who for the fans who wandered around the outside courts.
Lukasz Kubot
v Adrian Mannarino on Court 14?
“Oh it’s a couple
of nobodies!,” quipped one spectator as he craned his neck to see the names on
the on court scoreboard.
Had the fan stuck
around to see the match to its conclusion, he would have caught sight of Kubot
doing his bizarre can-can victory jig along the service line following his
absorbing 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-4 win over Frenchman Mannarino.
Kubot and
Mannarino were among four players outside the top 100 who had made it to the
second Monday at Wimbledon.
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