Sabine Shocks Serena in Huge Wimbledon Upset

July 1, 2013 | By Kristina Hyland
Sabine_Lisicki
Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg

In a surprising upset, world number one Serena Williams was bumped out of the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday after losing to world number 24 Sabine Lisicki, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4. The 23-year old German was the first woman to steal a set and defeat Williams in the past 34 matches.

Throughout the first three rounds, Williams had not lost more than three games to any of her opponents. Lisicki won the first set 6-2, but then dropped nine straight games in the second and third sets. However, she managed to win the final set, 6-4.

"I’m so happy," Lisicki said to BBC after the match. "Serena played a fantastic match. She’s such a tough opponent. It’s just an amazing feeling to win this match. The crowd was so amazing."

Lisicki also defeated a world number one last year at Wimbledon when she beat Maria Sharapova in the fourth round. She is set to face world number 46 Kaia Kanepi of Estonia in the quarterfinals.

"She played a super aggressive game. When you’re playing and you have absolutely nothing to lose, it’s like you can really play with so much freedom and so loose. That’s how she played today," said Serena. "I didn’t play the big points good enough. I didn’t do what I do best. I think I had a little hesitation, and that explains it."


Kristina Hyland
Intern, Long Island Tennis Magazine

Kristina Hyland is from Lynbrook, NY. She is a senior at the University of Dayton in Ohio, majoring in public relations and minoring in political science. Kristina is interning for Long Island Tennis Magazine during the Summer of 2013. She can be reached at kristinah@litennismag.com.

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