TOP SEED MARIA SHARAPOVA was bundled out of Wimbledon in straight sets by German Sabine Lisicki on Monday.
The Russian was a 6-4 6-3 loser on Centre Court at the All England Club, with 15th seed Lisicki needing just 84 minutes to seal her fourth-round win.
In a nervy first set, both players struggled to hold serve, with Lisicki making three vital breaks.
Sharapova added two of her own but won just 45 percent of points on her second serve, giving the 2011 semi-finalist the early advantage.
And it was one she did not throw away in an exciting second set in which both players improved.
Only one break point was up for grabs but it was gladly taken by Lisicki who served well to wrap up victory against the world number one.
Advertisement
Lisicki will meet German Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals after she thumped Belgian Kim Clijsters 6-1 6-1.
Clijsters, appearing at her last Wimbledon, was on court for just 49 minutes as Kerber smashed 19 winners in a comprehensive victory.
The loss was Clijsters’ second-worst in grand slam history, with only her 6-0 6-1 defeat to Nadia Petrova at the 2010 Australian Open worse.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova survived a scare against Italian Francesca Schiavone, winning 4-6 7-5 6-1 in over two-and-a-half hours.
The Czech failed to convert any of her 10 break points in the first set and Schiavone – seeded 24th – made her pay with her one break enough to claim the early lead.
Despite hitting more unforced errors and fewer winners in the second set, it was Kvitova’s strong first serves that kept her in the match.
This time she took advantage of her opportunities though, winning two of three break points to set up a decider.
And the fourth seed kicked into gear when required, racing through the final set in just 39 minutes to set up a meeting with American Serena Williams in the last eight.
Williams defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, 6-1 2-6 7-5 in a highly entertaining match.
After storming through the first set in just 26 minutes, Williams was stunned by Shvedova – fresh off a golden set against Italian Sara Errani in her last match – who responded in style to set up a third set.
Both players put on a terrific exhibition in the final set, with Williams hitting 16 winners, three more than her opponent.
The four-time champion, who has won 13 grand slams in her career, had to hold serve to stay in the match at 4-5 but produced her best tennis to battle to victory.
Other results saw third seed Agnieszka Radwanska cruise past Italian Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 and Austrian Tamira Paszek defeated another Italian, Roberta Vinci, 6-2 6-2.
Sharapova and out! Maria, Clijsters sent packing at Wimbledon
TOP SEED MARIA SHARAPOVA was bundled out of Wimbledon in straight sets by German Sabine Lisicki on Monday.
The Russian was a 6-4 6-3 loser on Centre Court at the All England Club, with 15th seed Lisicki needing just 84 minutes to seal her fourth-round win.
In a nervy first set, both players struggled to hold serve, with Lisicki making three vital breaks.
Sharapova added two of her own but won just 45 percent of points on her second serve, giving the 2011 semi-finalist the early advantage.
And it was one she did not throw away in an exciting second set in which both players improved.
Only one break point was up for grabs but it was gladly taken by Lisicki who served well to wrap up victory against the world number one.
Lisicki will meet German Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals after she thumped Belgian Kim Clijsters 6-1 6-1.
Clijsters, appearing at her last Wimbledon, was on court for just 49 minutes as Kerber smashed 19 winners in a comprehensive victory.
The loss was Clijsters’ second-worst in grand slam history, with only her 6-0 6-1 defeat to Nadia Petrova at the 2010 Australian Open worse.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova survived a scare against Italian Francesca Schiavone, winning 4-6 7-5 6-1 in over two-and-a-half hours.
The Czech failed to convert any of her 10 break points in the first set and Schiavone – seeded 24th – made her pay with her one break enough to claim the early lead.
Despite hitting more unforced errors and fewer winners in the second set, it was Kvitova’s strong first serves that kept her in the match.
This time she took advantage of her opportunities though, winning two of three break points to set up a decider.
And the fourth seed kicked into gear when required, racing through the final set in just 39 minutes to set up a meeting with American Serena Williams in the last eight.
Williams defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan, 6-1 2-6 7-5 in a highly entertaining match.
After storming through the first set in just 26 minutes, Williams was stunned by Shvedova – fresh off a golden set against Italian Sara Errani in her last match – who responded in style to set up a third set.
Both players put on a terrific exhibition in the final set, with Williams hitting 16 winners, three more than her opponent.
The four-time champion, who has won 13 grand slams in her career, had to hold serve to stay in the match at 4-5 but produced her best tennis to battle to victory.
Other results saw third seed Agnieszka Radwanska cruise past Italian Camila Giorgi 6-2 6-3 and Austrian Tamira Paszek defeated another Italian, Roberta Vinci, 6-2 6-2.
Lightning strikes twice: Blake beats Bolt for the second time in 48 hours
London 2012: Introducing… Sanita Puspure
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Angelique Kerber Francesca Schiavone Kim Clijsters Maria Sharapova Middle Monday Petra Kvitová Sabine Lisicki Sw19 Wimbledon Yaroslava Shvedova