Sabine Lisicki meets Marion Bartoli on Saturday for the 2013 Wimbledon Final. With household names like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka eliminated, Lisicki and Bartoli may be unfamiliar to people. Leading up to the Wimbledon final, below are five facts about each finalist.
1. Lisicki, 23, hails from Troisdorf, Germany. She's ranked No. 24 in the World with a 20-12 record this year, according to the WTA website. The furthest she went in Wimbledon, before this year, was the 2011 semifinals. She's won three WTA titles since turning pro in 2006 and has a 222-145 overall record. She currently resides in Bradenton, Fla.
2. She is right-handed and has a two-handed backhand. TennisEarth describes the German as packing "immense power in ground-strokes and can surprise opponents with venom in her strokes. Another exceedingly underrated aspect of her game is her serve, when on song, Lisicki's serves are like cannon balls being launched from just 24 meters."
Her powerful serves earned her the nickname "Boom Boom," according to Vogue.
3. The German's name made headlines at Wimbledon on Monday when she stunned the tennis world by defeating Serena Williams. Williams, the favorite to win the event, fell in three sets to Lisicki in the fourth round.
4. Defeating Williams marked the fourth time Lisicki has dethroned the reigning French Open champion at Wimbledon. She defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009, Li Na in 2011, Maria Sharapova in 2012 and Williams in 2013. She missed the 2010 Wimbledon because of an injury, according to ESPN.
5. Lisicki beat Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals on Thursday. Her three set win (6-4, 2-6, 9-7) over the World No. 4 earned Lisicki her first finals appearance at a major. A win on Sunday gives Lisicki her first Grand Slam title.
1. Bartoli, 28, was born in Le Puy en Velay, France. She's ranked No. 14 in the World with a 14-12 record this year, according to the WTA website. She has seven WTA titles to her name since turning pro in 2005, and she boasts a 482-297 overall record. This is the second time Bartoli has made it to the Wimbledon final - her first final appearance was in 2007, when she fell in two sets to Williams. Geneva, Switzerland is her current place of residence.
2. Her playing style is unusual. She's right-handed and has a two-handed forehand and backhand, which is uncommon. TennisHead.net described Bartoli as hitting a heavy ball and having "fast and excellent adjustment steps around the ball so (her) positioning is fantastic allowing (her) to strike clean, early and have weight behind the ball."
3. Most impressive about Bartoli's run in Wimbledon this year is that she has yet to drop a set in her first six matches. Her semifinals win on Thursday over Kirsten Flipkens was a dominating performance, winning 6-1, 6-2. With Williams, Sharapova and Azarenka already eliminated, Bartoli has the best chance of her career to capture her first Grand Slam title.
4. Bartoli has traditionally struggled against Lisicki — she's won once in her four career matches against the German. Her lone win came in their first head-to-head match at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. Lisicki won the next three meetings, including their last match at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, where she won in three sets.
5. Despite her losing history against Lisicki, Bartoli appears to be playing some of the best tennis of her career. She defeated Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals, and it's worth reiterating that she hasn't dropped a single set in this year's tournament. Bartoli's biggest edge may be her experience over the 23-year-old.
