Tennis: Lisicki Serena Williams on the verge of defeat – tagesspiegel

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The shape of the curve Sabine Lisicki is facing up. Although the Berliner quarter-final tennis tournament in Miami to Serena Williams failed, she persuaded against the world number first.

She said goodbye with a smile from the audience on Centre Court. But Sabine Lisicki knew this Quarterfinals not should have been their last match at tennis tournament in Miami against Serena Williams. Satzball awarded in the first round, then an outstanding second sentence, as the Berliner vorführte the world ranking first in phases. In the end, it was the American title holder who on Wednesday (local time) after 2:01 hours with 7: 6 (7: 4), 1: 6, 6: 3 prevailed, and not the courage aufspielende German

“It was a very good, high-class match. A couple of points decided the match. And these points has made, “summed up Lisicki, which seems to tie two and a half weeks before the Fed Cup semi-final in Russia finally back to her achievements of past days. “Today was not my best day. I have not as well served as usual, and the ball did not hit well. All I could do was fight, “Williams said after the 700th win of her remarkable career.

Before the game, the ESPN had again shown the crucial scenes of the last duel of the two. It was a memorable match. In the second round of Wimbledon in 2013 Lisicki Williams’ dream of a title defense had stopped on the main lawn of the tennis world in three sets.

Before the reunion in Miami she had to think this game to indicate Lisicki said. And a new surprise was quite possible. With the score at 6: 5 and 40:30 hit number 21 in the world rankings to win the set. Even when she was fired the passage with a double fault, Lisicki remained highly concentrated, determined, and then played a second set, as it has long been no more succeeded against Serena Williams.

Although she lost at the beginning of the fourth time their service, but managed a not re-break for 1: 1. “This is an unusual match. You’d think if Serena her opponent four times decreases the impact, the game should be over, “said the ESPN expert and former coach of Andre Agassi, Brad Gilbert, impressed. While Lisicki her opponent in the subsequent period decreased three times the premium, rose visible frustration at Williams. She threw her racket away, moved badly, making simple mistakes.

In the deciding set, the 19-time Grand Slam winner, however, was again fully focused. “The momentum was on their side. But I wanted to stay strong and easy to hold my serve, “nevertheless, Williams said. With the break for 2: 0 succeeded the seven-time champion Miami ultimately the preliminary round and the 16th win in succession in the Crandon Park Tennis Center. In the semifinals, now waiting Simona Halep of Romania on Williams. Lisicki took ten minutes after end of the game despite losing a positive balance in recent weeks. By mid-March, they had won only one match this year. Over the past nine games but then followed the same seven victories. In Indian Wells Lisicki was surprising in the semifinal, in Miami she continued their upward trend and made it into the top eight.

“Both tournaments are the biggest after the Grand Slams. It was a good start to finally reap some fruits of the work I’ve put into it. Things can go, “Lisicki said.