Flipkens vows to continue fairytale
Kirsten Flipkens has warned Marion Bartoli that she has no intention of letting her fairytale run at Wimbledon come to an end in Thursday’s semi-finals.
Flipkens knows she is one of the more unlikely All England Club semi-finalists in recent years, but the Belgian 20th seed is determined to make the most of her first appearance in the last four at a Grand Slam.
This time last year the 2003 junior Wimbledon champion, who suffered several serious injuries as a youngster, was ranked a lowly 262 in the world after blood clots in her left ankle forced her to take several months off.
Tuesday’s surprise 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over former champion Petra Kvitova in the last eight secured a semi-final showdown with French 15th seed Bartoli and provided Flipkens with a tangible reward after all her struggles.
Fittingly for a tournament shaped by upsets, Flipkens’ clash with Bartoli, who was beaten by Venus Williams in the 2007 Wimbledon final, is one of two surprising last four match-ups.
Bartoli came through a nerve-jangling clash with American 17th seed Sloane Stephens, winning 6-4, 7-5 after a remarkable second set featuring nine breaks in 12 games.
But Bartoli fell foul of the fans on Court One who booed her when she demanded that play be stopped when she was leading 5-4, 40-40 in the first set with Stephens serving as light rain began to fall.
The other semi-final is a fascinating clash of styles between big-serving Sabine Lisicki and shot-making Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
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