Preview
Germany's Sabine Lisicki will take on Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli in the Wimbledon 2013 women's singles final on Saturday.
Lisicki is aiming to become the first German to win a grand slam after Steffi Graf in 1999. The 23-year-old believes her minset has been crucial to her sucess so far.
"When I arrived here I told myself that anything is possible," Lisicki said. "That's what I believed, and still do. I came here to win every match and that's what I've done so far. I feel great out there. It has been a great journey, and I'm not finished yet."
On the other hand, Marion Bartoli will try to add one grand slam to her career. At 28, the final could be one of her last opportunities to grab the elusive major trophy. Her only other grand slam final was at Wimbledon in 2007, where she lost to Venus Williams. Having yet to lost a set this tournament, Bartoli is high on confidence.
"I have won six matches. I haven't lost a set. I think the facts speak for themselves," she said.
Where To Watch
The match takes place on Center Court, Saturday July 6 and is scheduled to begin at 6.30 pm IST. Live coverage is available on ESPN and ESPN HD.
Previous Matches
Sabine Lisicki caught the world's attention when she beat Serena Williams in the fourth round, breaking the American's 34-match winning streak. After having won the first set 6-2, Lisicki could not compete in the second with Williams swiftly taking it 6-1. At one set each, Williams raced to a 3-0 lead in the final set. At 4-2, Williams looked set for a victory but Lisicki fought valiantly and won the next four games to take the set 6-4.
The world number 23 also had a trying encounter with Agnieszka Radwanska in the semi final. Once again, Lisicki won the first set, only to lose the second. The German was able to power through an unpredictable, up and down third set, winning it 9-7. The match finished 6-4 2-6 9-7 to Lisicki.
Bartoli, on the other hand, has been dominant so far in the tournament. She has yet to lose a set and will go into the match as the slight favourite. The Frenchwoman destroyed Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in the semi finals. Bartoli won the first set in just 25 minutes and didn't take much longer in the second. The French 15 seed won the match 6-1 6-2 in just 62 minutes.
That's not to say she has had no difficult matches. She took on highly-rated American Sloane Stephens in the quarterfinals, ultimately winning 6-4 7-5. The match was more or less even until a rain delay at 5-4 in the first set broke Stephens' rhythm. Bartoli was able to press home the advantage and win in straight sets.
Head-To-Head
Lisicki and Batoli have faced each other four times in the past, the German winning three and the Frenchwoman just one. They have played against each other twice at Wimbledon, the last meeting was in 2011. Lisicki won that match in three sets 6-4 6-7 6-1. The 2008 meeting at SW19 went the way of Bartoli 6-2 6-4. The remaining two matches were on clay, Lisicki winning both comfortably in straight sets.
