Reporting from Wimbledon, England
Marion Bartoli of France defeated defending women's champion Serena Williams in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday, ending the American's hopes of a triumphant comeback after almost a year off with injuries and other health problems.
It came down to a brief bit of extra preparation for Bartoli. On her sixth match-point attempt, she swung the racket a couple of times, mimicking her service motion, mentally plotting her course.
It was in a second-set tiebreak with Williams, Wimbledon's four-time winner, facing Bartoli, who had spent 3 hours, 9 minutes on court in her third-round match. Bartoli took a deep breath, did one shimmy as if to wiggle out her nerves and went into her serving motion.
She hit a rocket, one deep in the corner that kicked up chalk, and when Williams could only dump her return into the net Bartoli screamed, an expression of delight that was well-deserved.
Bartoli, seeded ninth and a Wimbledon finalist here in 2007 when she lost to Venus Williams, beat seventh-seeded Serena Williams, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
"Beating Serena is almost like a dream come true," Bartoli said. "Even though she didn't play for almost one year, for me to be able to come back from losing the game at 6-5, it's really huge."
Bartoli served for the match in the 12th game of the second set but after Williams saved three match points, she got the service break she needed with a ferocious backhand return winner off a 76-mile-per-hour second serve and seemed to carry the advantage into the tiebreak.
And Williams grabbed an early advantage in the tiebreak when Bartoli missed an easy backhand to give Williams a mini-break and a 2-1 lead but when Williams served the next time, in playing defense, Williams put a drop shot into the net.
With the tiebreak at 6-6, Williams made a sloppy backhand error to put herself down 6-7 in the tiebreak and it was then that Bartoli very carefully practiced her service motion while never looking in the direction of Williams.
"She is very imposing," Bartoli said. "I wanted to stay in the moment." The moment was the perfect serve.
Williams was returning from an 11-month absence from tennis due to two foot injuries and a pulmonary embolism. Williams gave Bartoli a hug at the end but then put her head in a towel. Williams had cried after winning her first-round match here on Centre Court last Tuesday but she didn't shed tears Monday. She just packed up her rackets and left Court 1.
Diane Pucin LA Times.
Marion Bartoli of France defeated defending women's champion Serena Williams in the fourth round at Wimbledon on Monday, ending the American's hopes of a triumphant comeback after almost a year off with injuries and other health problems.
It came down to a brief bit of extra preparation for Bartoli. On her sixth match-point attempt, she swung the racket a couple of times, mimicking her service motion, mentally plotting her course.
It was in a second-set tiebreak with Williams, Wimbledon's four-time winner, facing Bartoli, who had spent 3 hours, 9 minutes on court in her third-round match. Bartoli took a deep breath, did one shimmy as if to wiggle out her nerves and went into her serving motion.
She hit a rocket, one deep in the corner that kicked up chalk, and when Williams could only dump her return into the net Bartoli screamed, an expression of delight that was well-deserved.
Bartoli, seeded ninth and a Wimbledon finalist here in 2007 when she lost to Venus Williams, beat seventh-seeded Serena Williams, 6-3, 7-6 (6).
"Beating Serena is almost like a dream come true," Bartoli said. "Even though she didn't play for almost one year, for me to be able to come back from losing the game at 6-5, it's really huge."
Bartoli served for the match in the 12th game of the second set but after Williams saved three match points, she got the service break she needed with a ferocious backhand return winner off a 76-mile-per-hour second serve and seemed to carry the advantage into the tiebreak.
And Williams grabbed an early advantage in the tiebreak when Bartoli missed an easy backhand to give Williams a mini-break and a 2-1 lead but when Williams served the next time, in playing defense, Williams put a drop shot into the net.
With the tiebreak at 6-6, Williams made a sloppy backhand error to put herself down 6-7 in the tiebreak and it was then that Bartoli very carefully practiced her service motion while never looking in the direction of Williams.
"She is very imposing," Bartoli said. "I wanted to stay in the moment." The moment was the perfect serve.
Williams was returning from an 11-month absence from tennis due to two foot injuries and a pulmonary embolism. Williams gave Bartoli a hug at the end but then put her head in a towel. Williams had cried after winning her first-round match here on Centre Court last Tuesday but she didn't shed tears Monday. She just packed up her rackets and left Court 1.
Diane Pucin LA Times.
on tour... my new fav player
