Germany Too Strong for French Resistance

In the fourth round it was hard for Bartoli or Williams to break each others service, but in the first quarter final on Centre Court the first three games went to the receiver and Sabine Lisicki raced to a 2-1 lead, an advantage that she retained for the next few games, even threatening to gain an additional break on a clearly worried Bartoli.

The unseeded German with the huge serve and bigger smile is a welcome return addition to the women's game which to be honest needs some young players with charisma to add to the innate ability - the Williams sisters have a limited shelf life and Sharapova cannot do it alone - and Lisicki can charm the blackness out of the clouds. Speaking of which for the quarters I did not present myself to Wimbledon and luckily so since I would have needed a Centre Court ticket. The rain was frequent and heavy and delayed Court One quarter final matches.

The roof was working OK though and the Bartoli mind was working too - overtime - seeking a way to combat the booming grenades thrown from the smiling assassin at the other side of the court. No answers were coming but the winners off Lisicki's racquet continued to come and the inevitability of the first set result had a 6-3 confirmation. There was going to have to be another miracle from the French star today.

The second set trend though somewhat similar, suggested that Bartoli could work a path back into the match. However she did not have the power to outgun her opponent and Lisicki broke serve with the chance at 5-4 on her own racquet to win in straight. Marion saved match points and eventually her courage delivered a break of serve of her own to level at 5-5.

One sensed that maybe an opportunity for the lower ranked player had passed because Bartoli played a smart tie break winning it seven points to four and moving into the deciding set with the momentum and knowledge that a Wimbledon semi final is a place I've been before.

The story played out completely the opposite as Bartoli folded under the barrage of Lisicki winners and quite possibly her own weariness, the legacy of a long campaign. Sabine Lisicki ranked number 62 prior to this tournament is a semi finalist and with that serve on grass is dangerous.