Serena’s exit makes ladies’ Wimbledon title available MyZA

Sabine Lisicki – US Open 2010. Photo: Wikipedia

Serena Williams’ failure to make the Wimbledon quarter-finals has opened the draw right up and at this point in time I’m struggling to pick Saturday’s champion.

It reminds me of the 2010 French Open when Francesca Schiavone emerged from the pack to almost stumble over the finishing line.

Whoever holds their nerve and believes they have what it takes to win their next three matches will lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.

Logically you’d say Petra Kvitova is the obvious choice after her victory in 2011 ahead of Li Na, who won the French Open in the same year, but the Czech has failed to deliver when under pressure in the last year or so and Na has been just as inconsistent in her performances.

If Kvitova clicks, she won’t look back, but there’s no way you can write off Sabine Lisicki now.

The German made the semi-finals here a couple of years ago and once again showed what a great grass court player she is as she fended off Williams.

We know she has the serve and ground-shots to go deep but yesterday she showed that she can match Serena on the mental side of the game – she didn’t get intimidated, even when Williams came back at her in the second and third sets.

I must admit that I was shocked that Williams lost after going 4-2 up in the third having won the second 6-1. At that point she looked comfortable.

We’ve all been guilty of saying ‘this is Serena’s Championship’ and maybe she was guilty of losing a little bit of focus at 4-2 and allowed her opponent back in. Then she showed that she is human; she got a little uptight when the pressure was on. – Barry Cowan