Bartoli races to maiden Grand Slam
Marion Bartoli romped to her first Grand Slam title as the French 15th seed thrashed Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.
Bartoli, 28, is the fifth oldest woman to become a first-time Grand Slam winner in the Open Era.
Six years after losing to Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final, Bartoli returned to Centre Court and finally ended her long wait for a major crown with a supreme display of power hitting.
She took just 81 minutes to rout 23rd seed Lisicki, who broke down in tears as the match slipped away in the second set.
“Honestly I just can’t believe it, as a little girl I dreamt of this moment for so long,” Bartoli said.
“Finishing with an ace to win Wimbledon, even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t have imagined that. I’m just so happy to be holding this trophy.
“I missed out here in 2007. I know what it is like and I’m sure Sabine will be here one more time, no doubt about it.”
Lisicki, who was undone by 25 unforced errors, said: “I was just overwhelmed by the whole situation, but credit to Marion. She handled it perfectly. She’s been on the tour for a long time and deserves this.
“I still love this tournament. I just hope I get another chance as well.”
By finally winning her maiden major title in the 47th Grand Slam appearance of her career, Bartoli surpassed the previous record set by Jana Novotna, who won Wimbledon in 1998 after 45 appearances at the majors.
Bartoli, who will climb to seventh when the latest world rankings are released on Monday, didn’t drop a single set in her seven matches and is the first Frenchwoman to win a Grand Slam singles title since Amelie Mauresmo at Wimbledon in 2006.
Ironically, Mauresmo has played a key role in Bartoli’s remarkable renaissance over the last two weeks.
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