Sabine Lisicki the favourite as ladies gear up for the semi-finals

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It has been a riveting nine days at Wimbledon 2013 with veritable giants being slain by unheralded players, players who had prior to their majestic victories against some of the greatest names in tennis revelled in their anonymity. Apart from earth-shattering upsets and their statistical ramifications, Wimbledon 2013 has also given the patrons of tennis many memories that they will cherish for eternity. Sergiy Stakhovsky rolled the clocks back by more than a decade as he served and volleyed his way to upset a man to whom the meadows of Wimbledon have belonged for the better part of a decade. It was an encounter that rekindled memories of a bygone era.
In the ladies quarter, the biggest upset was arguably Sabine Lisicki's triumph over top seed and defending Champion, Serena Williams. If statistics are anything to go by, then the domination of the Williams' sisters at the All England Lawn-Tennis Club has been nothing short of legendary. In the period between 2000 and 2012, Venus and Serena have both managed to clinch the "Venus Rosewater Dish" a staggering five times. Maria Sharapova (2004), Amelie Mauresmo (2006) and Petra Kvitova (2011) are the only anomalies in what has been a decade and a half of Williams-mania at Wimbledon. Before the start of Wimbledon 2013, a triumph to Serena was in fact a foregone conclusion. All that remained to be seen was whom she would play the final against. But, a sprightly German in Lisicki managed to take on the 16-time Major Champion in a glorious match that was played out in three sets.
With Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Li Na, Samantha Stosur and Ana Ivanovic ousted, the tournament is wide open and it is not very often that one gets to see not a single Grand Slam Champion in the last four. But, given the devastating form that she has displayed for the last week or so and her epic victory against Serena in the fourth round, the odds seem to favour Sabine Lisicki, albeit slightly. Here is a look at the four female semi-finalists:
Sabine Lisicki: Fortune finally seems to be smiling on the effervescent 23-year old German lass. Full of life and youthful exuberance, a smile constantly adorns Lisicki's face and she seems to have won over the sophisticated crowd at Wimbledon with her charm. In 2011, when her professional career was still in its nascent stage, she was unfortunate to run into Maria Sharapova in the semi-final at Wimbledon. She lost the 2011 encounter only to avenge the defeat an year later at the same place, albeit in the fourth round. Despite getting past Sharapova in the fourth round, she fell to compatriot Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinal. This year, upbeat after her triumph against Serena and Kanepi, she runs into Agnieszka Radwanska, a burgeoning and immensely talented player who is yet to taste success at the Majors, is sure to throw up a fiesty challenge but Lisicki has the edge over the Pole. If her last two encounters have proven anything, it is that she possesses a whole host of ground strokes in her arsenal and can use them with devastating effect. But, the one feature that stood out in the game against Serena was her ability to return the serve amazingly.
Agnieszka Radwanska: She made it to the final last year and will hope to go one better with a win this time around. But in her way stands Sabine Lisicki of Germany. Her performances in the Grand Slams following Wimbledon 2012 have neither been spectacular nor modest. She made it to the quarterfinals of the Australian and French Opens this year but a victory in a Major has eluded her so far. Her slightly defensive approach might prove a handicap when she faces off with Lisicki. But she is an amazing mover on the court and is definitely not one who is going to give up without a fight.
Kristen Flipkens: It remains to be seen whether Kristen Flipkens will succeed where her compatriots, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters failed. This is the first time the 27-year-old Belgian has made it past the round of 16 in a Grand Slam and it will be interesting to see if she manages to get past the semi-final hurdle at South West 19, London. She has a vicious backhand slice, a weapon she used to great effect against Kvitova in the quarterfinal. She also surprised the 2001 Wimbledon winner with some swerving serves and aces that helped her bail out of some sticky situations.
Marion Bartoli: In 2007, Marion Bartoli, a Frenchwoman, little known outside her native country surprised all and sundry when she upset Justine Henin in the semi-final of Wimbledon. She came back from one set down to pull off a huge upset. But, she could do little but watch a marauding Venus Williams march to victory in the final. Maybe, 2013 is her year. She might not look very graceful moving on the court, but hers is a game that yields results. While the use of a double-fisted backhand and forehand might restrict her ability hit those angles that some players can do even in their dreams, it does enable her to load a great deal of power. Against Flipkens, her power might just prove to be the tipping factor.