Bartoli to Face Lisicki for Wimbledon Title
Marion Bartoli of France, the number 23 seed, has advanced to the finals of Wimbledon after her 6-1, 6-2 semifinal win over Kirsten Flipkens. In the finals she will face the 20th-seeded Sabine Lisicki of Germany, who won a tight match over the number four seed, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 2-6, 9-7.
"I just really can’t believe it right now," Bartoli said. "I played so well today and was feeling so great. I was seeing the ball like a soccer ball. She hits a lot of slice, so I knew I needed to be sharp on my footwork, and everything was just working so perfectly. Playing like that on Centre Court at Wimbledon was just an amazing feeling for me."
This is Bartoli’s second trip to the finals at the All-England Lawn Tennis Club. In 2007, she fell 4-6, 1-6 to American Serena Williams in the finals, but not before scoring a huge upset over then, number one-ranked Justine Henin in the semifinals. Lisicki is now through to her first Grand Slam final and is the first German to reach a Grand Slam final since Steffi Graf at Wimbledon in 1999.
“There could be no place better to play my first Grand Slam final because I have been dreaming of being Wimbledon champion since I was a little girl," said Lisicki. "The first time I was here – I can’t remember when – I fell in love with Wimbledon. It was the place I always wanted to play. It was always my dream to play on the Centre Court and win the tournament. The whole atmosphere is so special. It’s so great to have the support of the crowd – there is no better feeling in the world to have it on that beautiful Centre Court. I feel great out there.”
