Wimbledon 2013: Marion Bartoli Beats Sabine Lisicki to Win Title

France's Marion Bartoli won her first Grand Slam title with a dominant 6-1 6-4 victory over German 23rd seed Sabine Lisicki in the Wimbledon final.


BBC Sport - Bartoli won the first set in 30 minutes as Lisicki failed to cope with the occasion of a first Grand Slam final.

The 23-year-old cut a fragile figure and was reduced to tears in the second set, helpless to prevent Bartoli from lifting the Venus Rosewater dish.

Bartoli ended with an ace, collapsing to the ground once victory was hers.

When the stunned 15th seed rose to her feet, she celebrated by climbing to the players' box to embrace family and friends.

Among those whom Bartoli hugged was her mentor and 2006 Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo, the last Frenchwoman to win at SW19, and her father and former coach Walter.

 Bartoli had bossed her opponents throughout the tournament and another commanding victory over Lisicki means she is now only the sixth player in the Open era to win a Wimbledon title without dropping a set.

"Honestly I cannot believe it," said the world number 15, the 2007 runner-up and a Grand Slam winner at the 47th attempt.

"I really felt I was playing probably my best match of the Championships. I was doing everything well. I was moving well, I was returning well. I really played a wonderful match.

"Even in my perfect dream I couldn't have dreamed a perfect moment like that. That is beyond perfection."

It was a final few had predicted and inexperience on such a grand stage perhaps explained the edgy opening from both finalists.

The unconventional French number one surrendered the first game of the match with a double fault but her rival followed suit, double faulting to allow Bartoli to level at 1-1.

Thereafter Bartoli, five years her opponent's senior and seeded eight places higher than the German, settled the quicker, taking the second of two break points in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead.

She had returned brilliantly throughout the Championships - making 81% of her returns prior to the final - and her ploy of returning from inside the baseline proved key to success over a big-serving rival known as 'boom boom' in Germany.

Her main weapon neutralised, Lisicki double faulted again in the sixth game before directing a forehand long to gift Bartoli a 5-1 advantage.

 With the match only 30 minutes old, Bartoli secured the opening set with Lisicki clearly ill at ease on the same court where she had shown such composure to knock out top seed Serena Williams in the fourth round.

The German had opportunities in the second game of the second set but Bartoli held firm and a third Lisicki double fault gifted Bartoli three break points in the third, the Frenchwoman finishing it with an overhead at the net to move 2-1 up.

And when another double fault presented her opponent with a break point in the fifth game, a clearly distressed Lisicki dissolved into tears.

The German recovered herself but could not prevent Bartoli breaking to lead 4-1, and when the Frenchwoman held for 5-1 a rout seemed imminent.

The seventh game duly brought two Championship points for Bartoli, but Lisicki not only held serve she then broke back, before another hold narrowed the gap to 5-4.

If Bartoli was now feeling the pressure, she showed no sign as she served it out emphatically at the second attempt, concluding an impressive performance with her second ace of the match.

"Just to finish on an ace to win Wimbledon, you saw the chalk come out of the line... I could have seen it in slow motion," added Bartoli.

"You can't describe that kind of feeling. You cannot put any words what I feel in this moment."

Share this post